FIFA officially warns Pakistan of sanctions

KARACHI: The world football governing body, FIFA has officially warned Pakistan of sanctions, including a possible ban, if third party interference in matters of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is not stopped.

In a letter, addressed to PFF’s Secretary General Ahmed Yar Lodhi, the acting secretary general of FIFA Markus Kattner states that “the appointment of an administrator for PFF by the Lahore High Court is contrary to articles 13.1 let. i) & 17 of the FIFA Statutes that request from the Member Associations to manage their affairs independently and without influence from any third parties.”

“The violations of such obligations might lead to sanctions, including the suspension of the PFF,” the letter says.

The LHC in July, appointed Justice retired Asad Munir as Administrator of PFF, while declaring PFF’s 30th June election as null and void.

However, FIFA says it does not recognise any appointment made in PFF by any third-party and continues to recognise Faisal Saleh Hayat as PFF’s President and Ahmed Yar Lodhi as its Secretary General.

FIFA has also advised PFF to inform the relevant authorities about the possible consequences Pakistan may face if violation of FIFA statutes continues.

“We kindly ask you to contact the relevant authorities in order to inform them about the consequences of the interference in the internal affairs of the PFF,” the letter states.

FIFA’s article 13.1(i) states that a member association has to manage their affairs independently and ensure that their own affairs are not influenced by any third parties, while the article 17 in clause 3 says, “Any Member’s bodies that have not been elected or appointed in compliance with the provisions of par. 2, even on an interim basis, shall not be recognised by FIFA.”

The world body, while recognising Faisal Saleh Hayat as President of PFF, has recommended PFF to revise its statutes, reform disciplinary bodies, and hold new elections in two years.

“The FIFA Executive Committee decided that the current PFF leadership - led by Mr Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat - would be given two years (until September 2017) to revise the PFF statutes and organise elections accordingly,” said FIFA.

FIFA has also appointed Costakis Koutsokoumnis of Cyprus, member of FIFA’s Associations Committee to supervise the process of reforms in PFF’s statutes.

The PFF has also been recommended by FIFA to lift the recent sections linked to recent electoral process, imposed by the existing disciplinary committee, which according to FIFA was “not properly formed.”

“The FIFA Executive Committee deemed that the PFF judicial bodies, including the disciplinary committee, were not properly formed because of the lack of separation of powers,” it said.

“It is, therefore, recommended that the PFF reorganises its judicial bodies in order to comply with international standard regulations and lifts the sanctions linked to the recent electoral process that were imposed by the disciplinary bodies of the PFF,” said FIFA.