Ban threatens Pakistan’s involvement in soccer’s Asian Cup

By Canadian Press on February 14, 2025.

Pakistan’s international soccer players are facing another spell in the sporting wilderness after the country’s federation was hit with a third FIFA suspension in less than eight years, just a month before the men’s national team was scheduled to start qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup.

FIFA recently announced the latest ban after the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Congress voted on Jan. 25 to reject changes to its constitution that were recommended by the sport’s world governing body and the Asian Football Confederation. It follows similar punishments in 2017 and 2021 which lasted five and 14 months respectively.

“It’s not surprising any more as there are power struggles in Pakistan football with people promoting themselves and not caring about the game,” Pakistan international 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.”

In 2017 and 2021, FIFA banned Pakistan due to third-party interference in the running of the PFF. In 2019, FIFA installed a Normalization Committee to run Pakistan soccer and organizing PFF elections. With no elections yet held, the committee is still in place.

There has also been a lack of action on the field with no nationwide league in the country of more than 250 million since 2019 and no national team games played at home for eight years after 2015.

That barren run ended in 2023 when Pakistan defeated Cambodia in Islamabad to progress to the second round of World Cup qualification for the first time. It meant six more official international fixtures and some optimism for the future.

“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, which is No. 198 among FIFA’s 210 ranked national teams, was set to start Asian Cup qualification against Syria on March 25. Soccer’s Asian organizers have stated that if the national team is to compete, the ban needs to be lifted by March 4.

There may be a chance. The PFF has decided to hold an Extraordinary Congress on Feb. 27 at Lahore where “the revision of the PFF Constitution as suggested by FIFA and AFC,” is on the agenda, according to a letter, dated Feb. 12, sent by Muhammad Shahid Niaz Khokhar, the PFF’s acting general secretary, to congress members.

Any development would be welcomed by players.

“The Asian Cup qualifiers are huge,” Rahman said. “The issue with the national team is a lack of official games. It’s now time for a permanent solution that allows football to resume and whatever elections need to be held, should go ahead.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

John Duerden, The Associated Press

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