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ISLAMABAD: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), in an official letter, has reaffirmed the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) as the sole governing body of football in Pakistan, the PFF said on Sunday, amid administrative challenges relating to the sport in the South Asian country.

Pakistan and FIFA share a complex yet evolving relationship, shaped by ongoing efforts to develop football infrastructure and promote the sport in the country. Pakistan has faced repeated administrative challenges and international suspensions, largely due to government interference in football affairs.

In 2019, FIFA appointed a normalization committee to restore order within the PFF and facilitate the holding of democratic elections. FIFA suspended the PFF in Feb. this year after its elected congress rejected constitutional amendments proposed by the global body but the ban was reversed in March after PFF accepted the amendments.

“We would like to hereby confirm that the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), currently led by Mr.Syed Mohsen Gilani as its elected president, is a recognized member of FIFIA since 1948,” FIFA said in its letter shared on the PFF’s Instagram handle.

“Accordingly, PFF, who is an active member of FIFA, is the governing body of football in Pakistan.”

The development comes nearly two months after Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met FIFA President Gianni Infantino to discuss football’s growing popularity in Pakistan and the potential that the sport has in the South Asian nation.

Football in Pakistan has long existed in the shadow of cricket. However, the sport has been growing popular over the years, particularly among the youth, who form a passionate fan base in urban centers.

“Had an excellent meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino,” Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said on X following his meeting with Infantino during a trip to the US.

“We discussed the immense potential of sports in Pakistan — especially the growing popularity of football following cricket,” he added.

Last month, the PFF announced it had appointed former Newcastle legend Nolberto Solano as the new head coach of the national men’s and under-23 team.

Solano, a former international footballer who has played 95 matches for Peru, was a prominent English Premier League footballer who also played for high-profile teams such as Newcastle United and Aston Villa during his football career.

He replaced Stephen Constantine, a seasoned football coach, who had been affiliated with Pakistan from September 2023 till October 2024.

“Nolberto Solano, legendary Peruvian international and former Premier League star, has officially been appointed as the Head Coach of Senior Men’s National and U23 Team,” the PFF said.

The federation said it had also hired Jorge Castañeira, describing him as a “globally respected performance and fitness coach,” to serve as associate fitness coach for the senior men’s national team.

“With over 30 years of elite-level experience, Jorge has worked across continents with top national teams and clubs,” the PFF said.

PFF President Gilani said both new hirings would help Pakistan build a “strong and professional future” for football in the country.

“With Solano and Castañeira joining us, we will give our players better facilities,” Gilani added.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will develop digital identities of all its citizens to enable secure and efficient payments, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, amid the Islamabad’s push for economic transformation.

The report comes weeks after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed provincial governments to fully cooperate with the center to move the country toward a “cashless” system as the central government aims to digitize the economy for greater transparency. Pakistan is a cash-dominated market where a significant portion of transactions, particularly in the informal sector, are conducted in cash.

In recent years, the country’s central bank has taken steps to ensure a transition toward a more cashless economy so that transactions are more traceable, reducing chances of tax evasion and corruption. Pakistan’s digital payments have also been on the rise. Since its 2021 launch, the central bank’s Raast system has processed over 892 million transactions worth Rs20 trillion ($72 billion) as of July 2025.

On Sunday, PM Sharif presided over a review meeting in Islamabad on cashless economy, at which he directed provincial chief secretaries to fully cooperate with the federal government in expanding the Raast digital payment system to the district level.

“The meeting was briefed that Pakistan will develop digital public infrastructure to create digital IDs for every citizen, integrating national Identity Cards, biometrics, and mobile numbers,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“These digital IDs will enable secure and efficient payments. It was further said that the provincial governments have shown significant progress in linking government-to-public and public-to-government payments with the Raast system.”

Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, has a vast informal economy and low tax compliance. The government has long identified digitization as a key tool to improve governance, reduce corruption and expand the country’s narrow tax base.

The government has set an ambitious tax collection target of Rs14,131 billion ($49.46 billion) for the fiscal year 2025-26 (FY26), reflecting a nine-percent increase over last year’s goal.

Last month, Pakistan launched the Merchant Onboarding Framework that requires banks and payment providers to equip all merchants with Raast-enabled digital payment tools such as QR codes and POS [Point of Sale] systems. In May, the government also approved setting up the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority to regulate blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

Speaking at Sunday’s meeting, Sharif said his government was working on a priority basis to digitize the economy and transform financial transactions to cashless and digital system.

“Federal development agencies have granted Right of Way for fiber connectivity, while discussions are ongoing with Pakistan Railways and the National Highway Authority to expand digital infrastructure,” the report said, citing officials at the meeting.