Pakistan’s absence from the upcoming South Asian Junior Soccer Championship in India has once again highlighted the administrative instability within the Pakistan Football Federation Normalization Committee (PFF NC).
The tournament, scheduled for May, will feature six teams—India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh—while Pakistan remains absent due to its failure to submit an entry.
This marks the seventh instance in the past year where Pakistan has missed international football events.
Among the overlooked tournaments are the AFC Women’s U19 Championship (Bangladesh), SAFF Women’s U16 Championship (Nepal), AFC Men’s U17 and U20 Championships, SAFF Men’s U20 Championship (Nepal), AFC Women’s Futsal Qualifiers (Indonesia), and now the SAFF U19 Championship (India).
When questioned about this pattern, a PFF NC official initially cited FIFA’s role but later attributed the absence to internal elections and administrative delays.
The official response clarified that the tournament was not part of FIFA’s approved calendar for Pakistan and that recent leadership changes within the NC had made it difficult to meet participation deadlines.
This repeated exclusion has raised concerns about Pakistan football’s future, with growing frustration among fans and stakeholders over the sport’s management.