Fifa reinstates Pakistan Football Federation after constitutional amendments

KARACHI: The International Federation of Football Association (Fifa) has lifted the suspension on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) following the successful constitutional amendments.

"The Bureau of the FIFA Council decided on 2 March 2025 to lift the suspension that was imposed on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on 6 February 2025," the football governing body said in a statement on late Sunday.

The decision was taken after the PFF Congress unanimously approved the version of the PFF Constitution validated by FIFA and the AFC, fulfilling thereby the requirement established by the bureau in its decision of February 6, 2025, it added.

Earlier, Shahid Khokhar, a member of the PFF Normalisation Committee, confirmed to Geo News that Pakistan’s suspension has been lifted, making the country eligible to resume international football activities.

“The suspension has been lifted following the successful outcome of the PFF Extraordinary Congress on February 27,” Khokhar said. “We thank Fifa and AFC for their continued support of Pakistan football and extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Pakistan football community.”

With the suspension lifted, all of the PFF’s membership rights, as defined in the Fifa statutes, have been reinstated. This allows PFF representative and club teams to participate in international competitions once again.

Fifa had imposed the suspension last month after PFF Congress members initially refused to accept the constitutional amendments, which were deemed necessary to ensure a transparent election process. However, during a follow-up meeting on February 27, the Congress approved the amendments.

The lifting of the suspension paves the way for Pakistan’s participation in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The PFF had previously announced it was unable to participate due to the suspension. Now, with the ban lifted, the PFF will need to make quick arrangements for its upcoming match against Syria, scheduled to take place later this month.