Karachi: The Normalisation Committee (NC) of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Monday informed the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that the flood at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad did not meet the requirements of FIFA and AFC.
The PFF team visited the Jinnah Stadium on May 3 and 18 to inspect the lighting and prepare an inspection report. However, after a thorough evaluation, it became clear that the lights did not meet international standards.
Unless the inconsistent lighting, especially around the goalkeeper, is fixed, PFF will be forced to move next month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia to a neutral venue.
According to PFF’s letter to PSB, the party has directly approached the matter through the official correspondent to rectify the situation. However, PFF is disappointed with the situation.
PFF called on PSB to propose corrective measures so that the former FIFA and AFC can be reformed.
Pakistan will take on Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan on June 6 and 11 respectively in the second round of the qualifiers. The match against Saudi Arabia will be held at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad, while the match against Tajikistan will be played at the Central Stadium in Dushanbe.
Pakistan are at the bottom of Group G as they have lost all four matches they have played so far. Pakistan were beaten 4-0 by Saudi Arabia in Al-Ahsa in November, followed by a 6-1 defeat by Tajikistan in Islamabad in the same month.
Jordan then beat Pakistan 3-0 in Islamabad, while the Falcons won the reverse fixture 7-0 at the Amman International Stadium.
