By Mark Baber
February 7 – There are now four candidates nominated to represent women’s football on the FIFA executive committee for a four year term, the first time the women’s game has had a permanent seat at the governing body’s top table.
With the deadline for nominations now passed, FIFA have announced (http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/news/newsid=2001380/index.html ) the four candidates are Moya Dodd (Asian Football Confederation), Lydia Nsekera (Confederation of African Football), Sonia Bien-Aime (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) and Paula Kearns (Oceania Football Confederation).
It will be a tough challenge for the other candidates to outpoll the co-opted incumbent, Nsekera, president of the Burundi Football. Nsekera took her place following last year’s congress and is known to have the support of a number of senior FIFA officials.
Bien-Aime is general secretary of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) and was in the news in 2011 when it emerged she declined $40,000 offered to her association by Mohamed bin Hammam during the FIFA presidential campaign.
Bien-Aime worked as a legal secretary, and served on the executive committee of the TCIFA before becoming the first general secretary. She is also chair of the Turks and Caicos Sports Commission.
Australian Dodd currently serves as a vice-president of the AFC.
Paula Kearns (Oceania Football Confederation) is the audit chairwoman of the New Zealand Football Association. She is a former acting CEO of New Zealand Football and is CEO of Canoe Racing New Zealand.
The election will be held at the 2013 Congress in Mauritius on May 31.
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