The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has received its third FIFA ban since 2017, which has jeopardized its men's national team's participation in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign.
On January 25, the PFF Congress had dismissed constitutional amendments proposed jointly by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which had led to the latest ban, after similar sanctions in 2017 for five months and in 2021 for 14 months.
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In 2017 and 2021, FIFA imposed bans on Pakistan following external interference in PFF operations. FIFA established a Normalization Committee in 2019 to oversee Pakistan football and conduct PFF elections. The committee continues to function as elections remain pending.
"It's not surprising anymore as there are power struggles in Pakistan football with people promoting themselves and not caring about the game," Pakistan player Navid Rahman told The Associated Press. "Also FIFA and the AFC should take some of the blame as this is a recurring issue which should have been sorted out before."
The sport has faced significant challenges domestically, with the absence of a national league since 2019.
"As soon as there is a little traction that develops in Pakistan football, then something happens," Rahman said. "For a player my age, the last 10 years have been terrible. There have been three FIFA bans and a global pandemic. So much time has been taken away from us."
Pakistan, ranked 198th, were scheduled to begin their Asian Cup qualification campaign against Syria on March 25. Football's Asian governing body has indicated that for the national team's participation, the suspension must be removed by March 4.
The players' last hopes rest with PFF's Extraordinary Congress on February 27 where "the revision of the PFF Constitution as suggested by FIFA and AFC" is on the agenda.
