Pakistan Football Federation welcomes reinstatement by FIFA

In this file photo, Members of local football association protest against the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in Karachi. (AFP)

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation has welcomed the decision of FIFA, the sport’s governing body, to reinstate its membership.
FIFA restored its membership on Tuesday, and PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat told Arab News that this was “a welcome and positive development for football in Pakistan.
“I am thankful to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, for their support and hope their help will continue,” he added.
FIFA had suspended the PFF on Oct. 11, 2017 when its offices and accounts were in the control of a court-appointed administrator, which constituted a violation of its obligations to manage its affairs independently and without influence from any third parties.
Early this month, Lahore High Court bench recognized the PFF’s elections held on June 30, 2015.
After the verdict Hayat, a former federal minister, was reinstated as the president of the PFF, and this paved the way for restoration of its membership. Hayat had been elected as president for a four-year term in 2015, but the decision was challenged and became the subject of a court appeal.