ISLAMABAD: FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation have warned of suspending the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) over the unlawful occupation of the PFF headquarters as well as the decision to take over the leadership from the normalization committee appointed by the international body.
According to a statement issued by FIFA, the federation could be suspended should the illegitimate occupation of the PFF headquarters not be lifted and the office bearers recognized by FIFA not be allowed free access to the building by 8:00 pm on Wednesday.
In 2018, a group of football officials elected in a poll held by the Supreme Court and led by president Ashfaq Hussain Shah had taken over the PFF headquarters in Lahore.
The statement stated that if the occupants did not comply with FIFA’s demands by Wednesday, the matter would be “immediately submitted to the Bureau of the Council for decision, which might include the suspension of PFF on the basis of Article 16 para 1 of the FIFA Statutes. FIFA strongly condemns the incident and considers such actions to be totally unacceptable, the letter said.
“We would like to remind all related parties, especially the characters who invaded the PFF premises, that the Normalisation Committee of PFF, established by a decision of the Bureau of the Council and later ratified by the FIFA Council, and which is currently led by your person (Haroon Malik), is the sole executive body of PFF recognized by FIFA,” it added.
The illegitimate occupation of the PFF headquarters, as well as any decision to take over the leadership of the PFF from the Normalisation Committee appointed by FIFA, constitutes an undue interference in the affairs of the Federation, FIFA said, adding, therefore, violating the obligations imposed on PFF by Article 14 para 1 let. i) and Article]19 of the FIFA Statutes.
Suspension of the PFF would lead to the federation losing all membership rights with “immediate notice, including, but not limited to, the right of PFF’s national teams or any of its clubs to participate in any international competitions, as well as the right of PFF and its members to benefit from FIFA’s financial/development programs, According to the statement.
