Nick Mwendwa: Why I want to join the Fifa Council

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa says he will contest for the African representative to the Fifa Council Member position for the Anglophone linguistic grouping.
 
He made this announcement Wednesday, three days after he was overwhelmingly re-elected as FKF president.

"I have already placed my candidature and will be heading to Morocco to popularise my bid. There are three other contestants (from English-speaking) countries but only two will be elected," explained Mwendwa.

The youthful football boss will likely face candidates from South Africa, Malawi and West Africa in the polls.

"It is a position that will catapult Kenya and East Africa onto the decision-making table in world football. There is also another chance for our youth to get job opportunities."

This is the second time Mwendwa will be seeking election into the council. He submitted his candidature only to withdraw at the last minute during the last elections held in Cairo in 2018,  and told Nation Sport the "politics on the floor was not right."

The 41-year-old is seeking to become the first football administrator from Kenya to get elected to this influential position after Tanzania's Leodgar Tenga also failed in the last election. The election will be held next year during the Fifa Congress.

The Fifa Council is a non-executive, supervisory and strategic body that sets the vision for Fifa and global football.

Its final composition includes 37 members: the President elected by the Fifa Congress, eight vice-presidents and 28 other members elected by member associations each for a term of four years.

Africa currently has Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Ahmad Ahmad, Egypt's Abo Rida, Tunisia's Tarek Bouchamaoui, Camara Kabele (Guinea), Lydia Nsereka (Burundi) Walter Nyamilandu (Malawi) and DR Congo's Constant Omari as members of the Fifa Council.