FIFA has suspended two countries from all its activities, including international competitions until all the serious issues in the federations are resolved. The world football governing body announced the suspensions on Thursday for Congo-Brazzaville (CAF) and Pakistan (AFC).
Congo-Brazzaville was suspended due to third party interference which goes against FIFA statutes. It is the same offence Kenya was also suspended for in 2021 after the then Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed disbanded the Football Kenya Federation led by Nick Mwendwa.
“FECOFOOT has been suspended with immediate effect due to a particularly serious situation of undue interference by third parties in the affairs of the organisation, which constitutes a clear violation of FECOFOOT’s obligations in accordance with the FIFA Statutes,” read the press release.
Pakistan has been suspended from all FIFA activities over its failure to provide a revised constitution that will ensure democratic elections.
“The PFF has been suspended with immediate effect due to its failure to adopt a revision of the PFF Constitution that would ensure truly fair and democratic elections and thereby fulfil its obligations as mandated by FIFA as part of the ongoing normalisation process of PFF.”
Congo-Brazzaville has been given instructions which include returning full control of the FECOFOOT headquarters to FECOFOOT and the third parties stop any efforts to change the signatories of the FECOFOOT bank accounts among other conditions.
Pakistan’s suspension will be lifted once the federation’s congress approves the version of the PFF Constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC.
The two countries have now been barred from any FIFA-related activities which include the World Cup, Asia Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations and its qualifiers.
The two will join Russia, who has remain suspended since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, in missing out on next year’s World Cup.
Congo-Brazzaville are last in their group in their World Cup qualification campaign where they have 0 points in Group E. Their next games were supposed to be against Tanzania and Zambia next month which will now not take place. They didn’t qualify for AFCON 2025.
Pakistan are winless in their last six games of qualification for the World Cup. Pakistan were also banned in 2017 and 2021.