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By APD writer Muhammad Sohail
**ISLAMABAD, Oct. 11 (APD) ** -- The international football governing body FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation's (PFF) membership with an immediate effect on Wednesday owing to undue third-party interference, said a statement published on the FIFA website said.
According to the statement, the PFF was banned because its offices and its accounts remain in control of a court-appointed administrator, which is a sheer violation of the FIFA laws.
The decision was taken by the Bureau of the FIFA Council since control of the court-appointed administrator "constitutes a violation of the PFF obligations to manage its affairs independently and without influence from any third parties in accordance with the FIFA Statutes."
The suspension will be lifted once the PFF offices and access to the PFF accounts are returned to the PFF.
Pakistan's national and club teams cannot participate in international competitions. File photo
With the suspension in effect, the PFF and its associated clubs, and the country’s national teams will not be able to benefit from any of FIFA or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) facilities or development and training programs, with the Federation losing all of its membership rights.
The PFF dispute started after its two groups went for elections, but a high court intervened and ordered a stay on the elections but a group led by Faisal Saleh Hayat went ahead and conducted the election in the presence of an AFC observer.
Following the polls, the court appointed an administrator to control the PFF affairs until the matter was resolved.
Meanwhile, FIFA gave the PFF faction led by Faisal Saleh Hayat a two-year mandate to ratify statutes and hold fresh elections in September 2015. However, PFF's factions could not go for fresh elections due to their involvement in legal battle.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
