INTENSE BATTLE FOR AFC REP'S POST ON FIFA COMMITTEE

By Yong Soo Heong

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Come May 8, Asian football officials
will decide at the 23rd Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress here on who
will represent them at the all-powerful FIFA Executive Committee.

AFC president Mohamed Hammam from Qatar is up against a formidable
challenger in Bahrain FA president Sheikh Salman Ebrahim Al-Kalifah.

Lobbying for votes from among AFC's 46 member nations has been intense
as far as the arguments and counter-arguments from both sides are concerned.

The congress, to be attended by FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter beginning
May 7, will also see an update on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa by
Danny Jordaan, Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising
Committee.

But the spotlight will certainly be on the voting of the AFC representative
to FIFA, the world's governing body for football.

Some see the contest as a vote of confidence on Hammam whose tenure as AFC
president will only end in 2011.

But if Hammam loses, then it signals a loss of confidence for the Qatari who
has been at the helm of AFC since 2002 and has also been instrumental for
suggesting to move the AFC headquarters in Malaysia to another location.

Kuwait FA vice-president Faisal A. Al-Dakheel said in a faxed statement
released by a group calling themselves the Asian Football Watch said the Kuwait
FA were very happy with the decision of FIFA to allow them to vote at the
congress.

This followed a letter from FIFA which confirmed that the Kuwait FA would be
able to exercise their right to vote at the AFC Congress.

FIFA had dispelled claims by AFC's Ad-Hoc Legal Committee that KFA were not
eligible to vote by virtue of being run by an interim body.

But FIFA had explained that since the interim body for the Kuwait FA, in
this case the Formalisation Committee, was formed by FIFA and AFC, Kuwait would
be eligible to vote in the congress.

"The Kuwait FA president, together with other members of the executive
committee will attend the Congress and vote to designate an AFC member to the
FIFA Executive Committee," said Al-Dakheel.

"The Kuwait FA hopes that fair play and ethics will prevail during these
elections," he stressed.

Kuwait FA said they were also pleased that the other five AFC member
associations from Brunei, Mongolia, Laos, Timor Leste and Afghanistan would also
be able to vote.

The five nations were earlier denied voting rights on grounds that they had
not participated in at least three tournaments from 2007-2009.

But the five nations had argued that their participation in the FIFA World
Cup qualifiers, the Under-13, and under-14 Festival of Football tournaments were
valid proof that they had taken part in at least three tournaments.

On April 22, FIFA's Legal Department announced that the three tournaments
were valid under the ambit of the AFC's tournaments and therefore the five
nations were eligible to vote.

"We are happy to note that all the six member associations whose voting
rights had been challenged, have regained their rights through the legal support
of FIFA," Al-Dakheel said.

FIFA has reminded all concerned to be mindful of the democratic rights of
member associations, and for fair play in the AFC Congress.

Blatter, in a statement released earlier this month in relation to the AFC
election, said it was his duty to remind all members of the Asian football
community on the importance of the values of fair play and ethics on the field,
in the administration and governance of the sport as well.
-- BERNAMA