FIFA suspend country from international football as statement released | Football | Sport
FIFA have suspended the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) until further notice over third-party interference. The decision means Nepal’s national teams and clubs are cut off from access to international football and to FIFA and Asian Football Confederation programmes.
The indefinite ban comes with Nepal’s governing body accused of being subject to third-party interference. ANFA has previously been suspended by Nepal’s National Sports Council. Per the Kathmandu Post, the Sports Council refused to recognise an ANFA election, and the current ANFA executive committee, led by president Pankaj Bikram Nembang, has already seen their tenure end.
In a circular statement to the member associations of FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom wrote: “We hereby inform you that, as a result of the decision taken by the Bureau of the Council on 24 June 2026, ANFA has been suspended until further notice in accordance with Article 16 of the FIFA Statutes.
“Consequently, with effect from 24 June 2026, ANFA has lost all of its membership rights, as defined in Article 13 of the FIFA Statutes, until further notice. ANFA representative and club teams are therefore no longer entitled to take part in international competitions until the suspension is lifted.
“This also means that neither ANFA nor any of its members or officials may benefit from any development programmes, courses, or training from FIFA and/or the AFC. Moreover, we would remind you and your affiliates not to enter into any sporting contact with ANFA and/or its teams while ANFA is suspended.
“Finally, the Bureau of the Council or the FIFA Council may lift this suspension at any time before the next FIFA Congress takes place. Should this occur, we will inform you accordingly,” the statement concluded.
Nepal is not the first team to have been handed a suspension in recent years. Congo and Pakistan have both been cast out before earning their place back in FIFA’s good books.
Like Nepal, Congo were suspended because of third-party interference in the Congolese Football Association. FIFA believed the body was not operating independently.
The national body’s suspension was lifted in May 2025 when FIFA was satisfied that the federation was in control of its own affairs and the headquarters had been restored.
The Pakistan Football Federation was judged to have failed to adopt a constitution that ensured fair and democratic elections. Their punishment was ended in March 2025 after FIFA and the AFC validated a constitution that was approved by the PFF Congress.
