KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: FIFA has warned rebel Pakistan football officials that the country risks suspension from all international football over their expulsion from its headquarters of a normalisation committee.

In September 2019 FIFA installed the committee under Humza Khan with a mandate to hold the PFF elections by June 2020. It did not do so. FIFA then extended the mandate until December 31, 2020 but again nothing was achieved and Humza resigned.

FIFA recomposed the NC and brought in lawyer Malik Haroon in January as its chairman. He had media that the election roadmap would be unveiled by the second week of April. However this plan was thrown into chaos after Haroon was driven from the PFF HQ kn Lahore at the end of last week by a group led by deposed president Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah.

Pakistani football has long been a source of controversy and scandal which FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation have struggled to resolve.

Suspension may be the only way to enforce clarity and meaningful progress.

A FIFA statement, in response to the latest events in Lahore, said:

Both FIFA and the AFC strongly condemn the incidents that have taken place at the headquarters of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in Lahore, in which PFF staff had to be evacuated after the offices were stormed by a group of protestors.

As per the decision of the Bureau of the FIFA Council, the normalisation committee is the sole entity recognised by FIFA, and has been appointed to manage the activities of the PFF until 30 June 2021 as per its current mandate. This latest incident has regretfully caused severe disruption in the ability of the normalisation committee to deliver their mandate.

FIFA and the AFC demand that the parties that have occupied the PFF headquarters immediately hand back the premises to the normalization committee or the matter will be referred to the Bureau of the FIFA Council, the consequences of which may include suspension of the PFF as per FIFA statutes.

############