Pakistan handed suspension from international football by FIFA
FIFA has suspended Pakistan from international football for an uncertain period of time owing to "third-party interference." The suspension prohibits Pakistan national team from taking part in international competitions and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) from benefiting from the FIFA training and development programs. Pakistan was part of an international match when they played Yemen in March 2015, during a World Cup qualifier.
What's the third-party interference FIFA referring to?
FIFA stated that the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) offices and its accounts are under the control of a court-appointed administrator. This violates FIFA statutes to manage its (PFF) affairs independently, without influence from any third parties. The world football governing body further said that the suspension will be removed "once PFF offices and access to the PFF accounts are returned to the PFF."
The 2015 PFF Elections
The issue goes back to 2015 elections when Faisal Saleh Hayat was elected as PFF President. Hayat was accused of rigging votes and embezzling funds. The matter which went to Lahore High Court resulted in a court-appointed administrator taking over the charge of PFF. This comes as a blow to Pakistani football whose team languishes at an all time low world ranking of 200.
