LAHORE: FIFA has officially lifted the suspension on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which was imposed last month. The decision came after the PFF Congress approved the constitutional amendments recommended by the global football governing body during an extraordinary meeting earlier this week.
Shahid Khokhar, a member of the PFF Normalisation Committee, confirmed the development, stating, “The suspension has been lifted following the successful outcome of the PFF Extraordinary Congress. We thank FIFA and AFC for their continued support of Pakistan football and extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Pakistan football community.”
A FIFA source revealed that the suspension was revoked after the PFF Congress approved a revised version of the PFF Constitution, validated by both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). “The requirement set by the FIFA Council in its February 6 decision has now been fulfilled. As a result, FIFA decided on March 2 to lift the suspension of PFF with immediate effect,” the source stated.
The reinstatement fully restores PFF’s membership rights under FIFA Statutes, allowing Pakistani teams to compete internationally once again. The suspension had initially been imposed last month when PFF Congress members rejected constitutional amendments aimed at ensuring a transparent election process. However, during a follow-up meeting on February 27, the Congress approved the necessary changes, leading to FIFA’s decision to lift the ban.
With the suspension now revoked, Pakistan’s national team is cleared to compete in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Their first match in Group E will be against Syria on March 25. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had previously warned that Pakistan would be considered withdrawn from the qualifiers if the suspension was not lifted before March 4.
