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After a long wait, Pakistan Football Federation finally has something to cheer about. FIFA has officially lifted the ban on the Federation following the constitutional amendments. This comes after the Pakistan government agreed to certain conditions set by FIFA. The main condition was non-interference in the Federation's affairs. Moreover, the Federation will have fair and transparent election processes. Shahid Khokhar, a PFF Normalisation Committee member, confirmed the development and called this as a "positive step for Pakistan football."
With this move, Pakistan's football team can resume international football activities, including the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The PFF will now have to quickly prepare for its forthcoming qualifier against Syria later this month. FIFA's ruling restores PFF's membership privileges, allowing the country's representatives and club teams to engage freely in all upcoming international tournaments.
FIFA's proposed amendments to change the face of Pakistan Football Federation
During the meeting between FIFA and Congress members, the latter agreed that amendments stated by FIFA were in the best interests of Pakistan football because they would most likely result in the removal of the ban imposed by the governing body.
Notably, in announcing the suspension, FIFA conditioned the removal of the ban on the PFF Constitution's ratification by FIFA and the AFC. "The suspension will only be lifted subject to the PFF Congress approving the version of the PFF Constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC (Asian Football Confederation),” according to a statement released to the media.
It is important to remember that the AFC had warned that if the suspension was not removed by March 4 — three weeks before the first match — the Pakistan men's national team would be regarded as withdrawn from the competition.
