International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) extended the mandate of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalisation Committee (NC) until February 15, 2025.
This marks the eighth extension since the committee was first appointed in June 2019.
The decision, made by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, allows the NC to finalize key tasks, including revising the PFF Constitution and conducting elections for a new executive committee.
In a letter addressed to Haroon Malik, Chairman of the NC, FIFA expressed its rationale for the extension, stating, “In order for the normalisation committee to complete its mandate … the Bureau decided … to extend the mandate of the normalisation committee for the PFF until 15 February 2025 at the latest.”
The NC has made significant progress in recent months. District-level elections were successfully completed by August 2024, followed by provincial elections in Lahore in September.
The NC also worked closely with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to draft a new electoral code and propose amendments to the PFF Constitution.
However, a November 19 extraordinary congress, intended to approve the revised constitution, was disrupted when six departmental associations, excluded for failing to meet statutory requirements, demanded participation.
FIFA noted that to avoid procedural issues, the NC referred their appeals to internal PFF bodies, leading to the postponement of the congress.
The process was further delayed when political rallies in Islamabad between November 24 and 27 halted government operations and disrupted transportation in Punjab.
FIFA acknowledged these challenges in its letter, stating, “Massive political rallies … made it impossible for the PFF administration to deal with the appeal process relating to the departmental associations.”
Consequently, the NC has proposed a revised timeline, with the extraordinary congress now scheduled for January 2025.
The revised constitution is a crucial prerequisite for conducting elections for a new executive committee, which FIFA emphasized must be "truly fair and democratic."
Once approved, the NC will hold an elective congress to finalize the transition.
The Normalisation Committee was initially appointed in 2019 to address governance issues, including club registration and organizing elections.
Over the years, its mandate has been repeatedly extended due to challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, political interference and internal disputes.
FIFA suspended the PFF in April 2021 following an illegal takeover of its headquarters but lifted the suspension in June 2022 after conditions were met.
FIFA’s letter reinforced the importance of this final extension, stating that it would enable the NC to complete its mandate and ensure the return of stability to Pakistan’s football.
With February 2025 set as the deadline, FIFA expects the NC to deliver on its promise of restoring governance in Pakistan’s football structure.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.
