The crisis-hit Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will elect its new president Thursday in Kuala Lumpur. But before the election has even taken place there are already question marks over all of the candidates – United Arab Emirates football chief Yousuf Al Serkal, Saudi Arabian Hafez Al Medlej, Thailand’s Worawi Makudi and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.
The successful candidate will only be in office for two years as disgraced former president Bin Hammam was elected unopposed as AFC president for a third four-year term in January 2011, and there are still two years remaining from his term.
Qatari Bin Hammam was expelled by FIFA in May 2011 for offering money to Caribbean voters, in return for their backing as he attempted to become the first Asia head of FIFA in an election against Sepp Blatter. Football Authority of Thailand (FAT) head Worawi Makudi accompanied Bin Hammam on that fateful trip.
FAT head Worawi Makudi has also been dogged by scandal in recent years, but he has managed to defend himself against numerous corruption charges, and he deflected attention for the failure to build the main venue for the Futsal World Cup last year in Bangkok.
Worawi has pledged in his manifesto if he is elected AFC president that he will increase the number of AFC representatives in the FIFA executive committee; restructure the distribution of revenue to member associations; invest additionally in grassroots development programmes for both male and female players; establish an Asian Football College offering degrees in relevant subjects and courses for football related programmes and to restructure the AFC Champions League and allow increased participation for member associations clubs.
Worawi retained his seat on FIFA’s executive board in 2011, making him the only candidate who has any sway with the top members of world football’s governing body. The AFC president will be allowed a seat at FIFA’s executive board, but not until 2015.
To help instill confidence in voters, Sheikh Salman has opted to enter a separate vote for a seat FIFA’s 24-man executive committee where he will run against Qatar 2022 World Cup organiser Hassan Al Thawadi.
If Yousuf Al Serkal or Hafez Al Medlej win the election, the AFC president will have no voice on FIFA’s executive board, which would be an embarrassment for Asian football.
Worawi told Reuters that he is aware of the task at hand and if he is elected president Asian football shouldn’t expect too much from him.
“”I don’t promise miracles,” he said. “I am not a magician. I don’t have a magic wand.”
Sheikh Salman bin is favorite to succeed disgraced former president Qatari Mohamed Bin Hammam.
