After FIFA suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), the world football governing body scolded its congress members again.
In a letter to PFF Normalisation Committee head Haroon Malik, the FIFA observed the PFF’s failure to enact constitutional amendments needed for free and democratic elections and suspended it immediately.
FIFA’s letter, strongly criticises PFF Congress members for rejecting the constitutional changes, stating they compromised the voting mechanism.
FIFA wrote in the note, “The proposal submitted by most PFF Congress members to restrict eligibility criteria for the position of PFF President would significantly reduce the pool of candidates and would go against the spirit of the Bureau’s decision to ensure free and democratic elections.”
According to FIFA, majority PFF Congress members rejected the PFF Constitution FIFA and the AFC gave them on November 18, 2024, in a letter to the normalisation committee on January 20, 2025.
So, they (PFF Congress Members) believed that the relevant changes should be discussed at the January 24, 2025 Congress and that only current Congress members should run for President.
FIFA informed the relevant PFF Congress members
On January 21, 2025, FIFA informed the relevant PFF Congress members that the congress agenda could not be amended and that only the normalisation committee’s proposed amendments would be considered and voted on.
Congressmen seemed unwilling to make changes needed for open and fair elections, FIFA remarked.
“Despite FIFA and the AFC’s efforts to promote these constitutional amendments, the Bureau noted that most members want to lower eligibility criteria, jeopardising the fairness and integrity of future PFF Executive Committee elections,” it stated.
Geo News saw the proposed amendments, which proposed changing the eligibility clause to “A candidate for the office of the president PFF shall have played an active role in Football management at any level (e.g., as an official within PFF, at provincial/regional level, district level or within a club) or as player for at least 2 of the previous 5 years before being proposed as candidate.”
The FIFA letter stated that the PFF suspension was meant “to ensure that the normalisation process of the PFF is not seriously compromised.”
FIFA established a Normalisation Committee in 2019 to oversee PFF elections and governance. Internal disagreements and exogenous factors like the COVID-19 pandemic slowed production despite many extensions.
The Normalisation Committee scheduled an Extraordinary PFF Congress for January 24, 2025, to approve the new constitution. However, majority PFF Congress members rejected the revisions four days before the meeting, saying that only current Congress members should be PFF leadership contenders.
