FIFA House, Lahore is looking after the sports of Football in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and provides guidance on international football standards. The main purpose of the FIFA House is to educate coaches, referees, women's football, beach soccer, and administrative and medical matters.

History

The year 2004 saw changes in Pakistan football, with a new administration in place. The FIFA House was consequently built through FIFA GOAL Project in

Ferozepur Road Firozpur, (pronunciation: ɪroːzpʊr also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in the Firozpur District of Punjab, India. After the Partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan bor ...

in Lahore. It replaced the Lyari Football House in

Lyari Lyari (Urdu: ; ; Balochi: لێاری) is a historic locality in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the most densely populated part of Karachi, and is one of its earliest settled areas. History Lyari is said to be one of the oldest inhabited parts of Kar ...

which was built in 1976 by former PFF president

Abdul Sattar Gabol Abdul Sattar Gabol (died 23 July 2006) was a Pakistani politician and one of the founding members of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). He served as the Minister of Labour and Manpower from 30 March 1977 to 5 July 1977. He also served as the Sin ...

. Amidst a crisis within the Pakistan Football Federation starting from 2015, the FIFA House was controversially occupied by a rival faction. After regaining control in 2018, the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation ( ...

issued a grant for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the house which had been badly damaged. By the end of 2018, the house was handed over to Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah, elected as the PFF chief by elections ordered by the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

, albeit to Fifa’s wrath for this being third-party interference again. In 2019, it was handled to a normalisation committee installed by FIFA whose task was to hold elections of the country's football governing body and bring it would bring an end to a four-year crisis. On 27 March 2021, the office was again attacked and people inside held hostage by its former president, Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah, and his group. A year later, the normalisation committee regained control of the house which resulted in the ban on the Pakistan Football Federation lifted.

References

Football in Pakistan {{Pakistan-sport-stub