PFF regains control of headquarters, FIFA ban averted

• PFF regains control of Lahore headquarters.
• FIFA threatened to ban PFF if headquarters were not returned.
• Football fans and officials urged the government to resolve the issue.

On Friday, the Normalization Committee (NC) of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) took back control of its Lahore headquarters.

The Punjab Revenue Department and the PFF Normalization Committee (NC) were at odds over the building’s lease, which resulted in the NC officials’ expulsion from their Lahore offices on Tuesday.

The PFF’s stay order was lifted by a district and sessions court in Lahore, leading to the current development.

PFF, however, will now restart operations at the building as a result of an agreement made with the Punjab Revenue Department.

FIFA threatened to ban PFF for interfering with third parties if their headquarters were not returned.

Earlier, Pakistani football supporters decried the situation and urged the national and local governments to find a quick solution on X, a platform that was formerly Twitter.

Nawabzada Jamal Khan Raisani, the interim minister for youth, cultural affairs, and sports in Balochistan, has given the Pakistani football community the assurance that he “is in touch with the relevant departments to resolve the issue.”

“I won’t let football stop in Pakistan,” he asserted.

It should be mentioned that the PFF was also suspended in April 2021 as a result of excessive involvement from outside parties. On June 29, 2022, however, the FIFA Council Bureau made the decision to lift the suspension following confirmation that the PFF NC was once again fully in charge of the PFF’s facilities and could oversee its finances.

“The PFF was also informed that any undue interference in its affairs or action that could hinder the fulfillment of the mandate of the normalization committee might lead to the PFF being suspended again and/or the imposition of other sanctions provided for in the FIFA Statutes,” FIFA said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the FIFA Council also decided to prolong the PFF NC’s mandate by nine months. The NC will continue to hold office until March 2024, instead of its original expiration date of June 30, 2023.

Pakistan recently won the first-ever FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Islamabad, defeating Cambodia 1-0 on Tuesday.

In the 67th minute of the game, Harun Hamid gave Pakistan the lead.

Goalless in Cambodia, the first leg of the two teams’ tie concluded.

Pakistan will now play in Group G of the qualifications for round two, which starts next month, against Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Tajikistan.

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