Zainudin gets Fifa boost as election rival cops ban

World football body Fifa have banned a senior Qatari official from running in elections for a seat on its council over an investigation, handing a boost to Football Association of Singapore president Zainudin Nordin, who is one of three remaining candidates on this powerful group governing world football.

Scandal-plagued Fifa’s ethics committee last month recommended a two-and-a-half-year ban from the game for Saoud Al Mohannadi, vice-president of the Qatar Football Association, for refusing to cooperate with an inquiry. Fifa have not revealed the subject of the inquiry.

Six candidates from Asia, including Zainudin, will vie at today’s AFC extraordinary congress in Goa, India, for three seats on Fifa’s council.

Three male candidates — Zainudin, China’s Zhang Jian and Iran’s Ali Kafashian Naeni — will compete for two of the seats in today’s vote, which will be attended by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

Three women are contesting the third slot under Fifa’s rule that each confederation must have a minimum of one female representative on the council. AFP