In an encouraging development on Tuesday, FIFA decided to lift with immediate effect the suspension it had enforced on Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) last year and reinstated all of PFF’s membership rights.
The PFF was embroiled in an internal power struggle and legal wrangling in the last few years, after which the Lahore High Court (LHC) had appointed an administrator to oversee the affairs of the federation.
Breaking: Pakistan's suspension has been lifted by FIFA. pic.twitter.com/i9X75HYmJb
— FootballPakistan.com (@FootballPak) March 13, 2018
However, as FIFA does not allow political meddling into regional federations’ affairs, it suspended the PFF in October 2017.
The court has since validated the PFF’s 2015 elections and sought its appointed administrator to vacate their PFF offices, an order FIFA was informed had been implemented.
Consequently, FIFA says “the suspension of the PFF is lifted with immediate effect. This means that all of PFF’s membership rights have been reinstated, as defined in art. 13 of the FIFA Statutes, with immediate effect. PFF’s representative and club teams are again entitled to take part in international competitions.
“PFF’s members and officials may benefit from development programmes, courses and training from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Finally, FIFA member associations may again enter into sporting contact with PFF and/or its teams,” an excerpt from a FIFA-issued statement reads.