FIFA suspends Pakistan, Chad football federations over interference claims
Zurich, Switzerland (PANA) - FIFA has said it suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and Chadian Football Association (FTFA) with immediate effect due to claims of outside interference.
FIFA said in a statement that its decision to suspend the PFF was because of a “hostile takeover” by a third-party, which amounted to a violation of its statutes. Pakistan’s national team captain said on Wednesday that the decision will “destroy” football in the country.
In Pakistan - Last month, a group of Pakistani football officials, led by former PFF president, Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah, stormed the federation’s head office because of a dispute with a FIFA-imposed normalisation committee running the sport in the country.
In 2018, Ashfaq was elected by the Supreme Court in Pakistan to run the PFF, but his election was not recognised by FIFA.
Instead, in 2019, FIFA installed a normalisation committee, headed by Haroon Malik, to help the PFF comply with FIFA regulations and hold elections.
Both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation warned of serious consequences if Ashfaq did not hand the premises back to Malik, with football’s governing body on Wednesday deciding to suspend Pakistan for the second time in four years.
In reaction, the Pakistani captain asked: “Where will players go when they are not paid? The players who sacrificed and left their education to play football are going to have their futures destroyed if the FIFA ban remains.
“We are extremely disappointed. All of our footballers come from poor backgrounds and if the government department-operated teams stop, then they will have nowhere to go.
“The bans are hurting Pakistan football, and the youth in particular. An under-12 youth player will have now lost five years due to the two bans. Their time is moving but there is no footballing activity.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, FIFA said the PFF suspension was prompted by the “illegitimate occupation of the PFF headquarters”. As the “office bearers recognised by FIFA” were not given “free access to carry out their mandate”, FIFA moved to suspend the PFF.
The governing body said the suspension will only be lifted once FIFA has “received confirmation from the normalisation committee” that it has “full control and can continue to carry out its mandate without further hindrance.”
The African nation of Chad has also been handed an indefinite suspension by FIFA.
In March, the Chadian minister of youth and sports dissolved the FTFA.
This led to the Confederation of African Football disqualifying the nation from the final two rounds of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations.
FIFA said it had suspended the FCFA because of the Chadian government’s decision to “withdraw the powers delegated to the FTFA” and seize control of the federation’s premises.
“The suspension will be lifted once the relevant government decisions have been repealed and the FTFA and its management, led by President Moctar Mahamoud Hamid, have confirmed to FIFA that the FTFA premises are again under its control.”
Only federations recognised by FIFA are permitted to send teams to international events.
Suspended nations are also no longer eligible to receive funds from FIFA.
-0- PANA VAO 7April2021
