Fifa suspends Pakistan Football Federation

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was suspended with immediate effect by Fifa on Wednesday due to the hostile takeover by Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah-led group of the PFF house.

Ashfaq and co had seized control of the PFF house by pushing out the Normalisation Committee appointed by Fifa.

The FIFA statement stated that the bureau of the FIFA Council suspended the PFF due to third-party interference. As per Fifa, such an act constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA statutes.

“This situation was prompted by the recent hostile takeover of the PFF headquarters in Lahore by a group of protestors and an alleged decision by certain individuals to remove the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee of the PFF led by Haroon Malik and to hand over the leadership of the PFF to Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah,” it said.

Normalisation Committee head Haroon Malik and his team was forced out by Ashfaq and his group last month. Fifa gave them the March 31 deadline to vacate the offices, but they ignored the deadline.

“This suspension will only be lifted once FIFA has received confirmation from the normalisation committee of the PFF that the PFF’s premises, accounts, administration and communication channels are again under its full control and it can continue to carry out its mandate without further hindrance,” said FIFA.