Chung Mong-gyu loses FIFA council election bid

Korea Football Association (KFA) president Chung Mong-gyu speaks at the KFA Awards 2022 ceremony held at the Westin Josun Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul on Dec. 23, 2022. [YONHAP]

Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu failed to reclaim his seat on the FIFA council on Wednesday.

The KFA chief, who lost his seat in 2019 after his first term as a FIFA council member from 2017 to 2019, lost the election again held at the annual meeting of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in Manama, Bahrain, Wednesday.

The FIFA council is the decision-making committee of world football’s governing body. The election on Wednesday was for the Asia seats on the council.

Representatives from 45 AFC member associations cast their ballots to elect five council members, but Chung finished in sixth place with 19 votes.

One more vote than the vice president of the Chinese Football Association Du Zhaocai, but not enough to get elected.

Meanwhile, incumbent members Mariano Arantea of the Philippines and Kohzo Tashima from Japan were re-elected with 30 and 39 votes each, while three candidates were elected for the first time: Datuk Haji Hamidin bin Haji Mohd Amin from Malaysia with 30 votes, Yasser Al-Misehal from Saudi Arabia with 35 votes, and Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Thani from Qatar with 40 votes.

The three are all the incumbent presidents of their countries’ football associations.

Their term length is four years, running from 2023 to 2027.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]