Sheikh Ahmad seeks seat on FIFA board KFA nominates ANOC chief for AFC elections

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 26, (Agencies): Olympic power broker Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah is seeking election to the FIFA executive committee. The Kuwait Football Association said on Thursday it nominated Sheikh Ahmad for Asian Football Confederation elections to the FIFA board, scheduled in Bahrain in April. Sheikh Ahmad has led the influential Olympic Council of Asia since 1991, and his support ensured Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa won the AFC presidency in 2013.

Sheikh Ahmad is a vocal supporter of Sepp Blatter’s campaign to win re-election as FIFA president in May. He has also criticized Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan for standing against Blatter as one of three rival candidates in that May 29 poll in Zurich. As leader since 2012 of ANOC, the global group of national Olympic bodies, Sheikh Ahmad’s support has been key to swaying elections in the Olympic movement. Sheikh Ahmad has been president of the Kuwait FA since 1990, succeeding his late father Sheikh Fahad. Sheikh Fahad was central to one of the most controversial World Cup on-field incidents. In 1982 in Spain, the sheikh sought to take the Kuwait team off the field to protest a goal scored by France in a group match, claiming defenders stopped when a whistle was blown in the stadium.

After the match was delayed and officials argued on the touchline, the goal — assisted by current FIFA vice president Michel Platini — was ruled out and play continued. The Asian confederation has four of the 25 elected seats on the FIFA ruling committee, In Bahrain, Sheikh Salman should vacate his ordinary FIFA board seat, which has two years to run, to assume the vice presidency for Asia on a fresh four-year mandate. It is currently held by Prince Ali. Seats currently held by Worawi Makudi of Thailand and Zhang Jilong of China are also up for election. Winners formally join the FIFA executive committee on May 29. “We strongly believe there is no better candidate to represent Asia on the FIFA executive committee than Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al- Sabah,” KFA secretary general Sahoo Al Sahoo said in a statement. “He has an unrivalled understanding of football — and sport generally — in Asia and across the world through his positions at the highest level of sport administration