LAHORE: The FIFA has once again extended the mandate of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) PFF normalisation committee, but added that Pakistan will remain suspended until PFF offices are not handed over to the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee. The FIFA in a statement has also highlighted that considerable progress have been achieved in order to meet the criteria to lift the suspension. “The Bureau of the FIFA Council has today decided to extend the mandate of the normalization committee of the Pakistan Football Federation, which was due to expire on 30 September 2021, until 31 December 2021,” the FIFA statement said. This is the fourth time that NC has been given extension since its emergence in September 2019. FIFA last extended PFF Normalisation Committee’s (NC) mandate for three months on July 1. NC’s tenure expired on September 30.
“The Bureau took note that the normalization committee had been diligently monitoring the situation on the ground and achieved considerable progress on the judicial and government fronts in an effort to meet the criteria for the suspension of the PFF to be lifted. At present, however, the PFF’s premises continue to be occupied and the PFF therefore remains suspended,” it added. FIFA stressed that it has decided to extend the mandate of the normalisation committee in order to allow for the administrative and legal efforts on ground to continue, with the aim of meeting the requirements for the PFF’s suspension to be lifted so that the tasks of the normalisation committee’s mandate can be carried out.
The global football body had appointed the normalisation committee in PFF in late 2019, refusing to accept the election held on orders of the country’s Supreme Court. The deadline has been extended several times. Hamza Khan, the first NC Chairman had resigned from his post in December 2020 and was replaced by Haroon Malik. But, the group led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah — who was elected as PFF president in 2018 elections held on orders of the Supreme Court — took over PFF offices from Haroon in March, alleging he did not honour the mandate. Haroon had alleged that he was forcibly removed from the office and the take over by Ashfaq group was a hostile attack on the Pakistan Football Federation. Following the takeover, FIFA suspended Pakistan’s membership.