Football Federation Australia (FFA) expressed its congratulations to newly elected AFC representatives to the FIFA Council whilst also expressing disappointment following FFA Director Moya Dodd’s loss in the election for the single female member position at the AFC Congress in Manama, Bahrain.

 

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Member Associations elected Mahfuza Kiron (Bangladesh), Zhang Jian (China PR), Chung Mong Gyu (Korea Republic) and Mariano V. Araneta Jr. (Philippines) for the four places allocated to Asia on the FIFA Council at the AFC Congress 2017 in Manama, Bahrain.

 

“FFA expresses its sincere congratulations to all elected members from AFC to the FIFA Council,” said FFA Chairman Steven Lowy AM. “Representing Asia’s interests whilst also leading the development of football globally is a big and important task and Australia wishes nothing but the best for their endeavours”.

 

With three open positions available, Zhang Jian, Chung Mong Gyu and Mariano V. Araneta Jr. secured their positions by acclamation. For the single female seat, Mahfuza Kiron secured the simple majority required; obtaining 27 votes over Australia’s Moya Dodd who received 17 votes in the first round after Han Un Gyong (DPR Korea) and Susan Shalabi Molano (Palestine) withdrew from the contest before the election.

 

“We are disappointed but also very proud that Moya has worked tirelessly for the development of football in particular on the reform process undertaken by FIFA and of course women’s football for many years” said Lowy. “We had hoped that her extensive track record and experience would have been sufficient to persuade the congress and allow her to continue her work in these critical areas but this was not to be. We respect the will of the AFC Congress”.

 

Moya Dodd also expressed her disappointment but also reaffirmed her optimism about the future.

 

“I am naturally disappointed by the outcome,” said Dodd. “But the election process itself meant that I had extensive discussions with dozens of members about our shared hopes for the future of the game, and that of itself is valuable in building progress.”

 

“The ball doesn’t stop rolling for long in football, and I still hope to make a valuable contribution via my roles on AFC’s Executive Committee and Women’s Football Committee. I’m proud of the work I did over 3 years on the FIFA Executive Committee, especially on the reforms.  I will always work to advance the game, especially the women’s game which is yet to realise its full potential.”