By Andrew Warshaw
April 19 – Sunil Gulati, head of the United States Soccer Federation, was narrowly elected to FIFA’s executive committee by CONCACAF on Friday, defeating his only rival, Mexico’s Justino Compean, by a single vote.
In the tightest possible ballot, Gulati won 18-17 and will now replace fellow American Chuck Blazer, who decided to stand down in December following allegations of financial mismanagement. Blazer, the former CONCACAF general secretary, had held the executive committee place since 1996.
Only full FIFA members of the 40-strong confederation were eligible to vote at the congress in Panama which ultimately chose to maintain an American voice – albeit a very different one in terms of personality – at the top table of FIFA.
“I am honoured to have been chosen by my colleagues to be one of their representatives on the FIFA Executive Committee,” said Gulati, who has served as USSF president and will continue in the role. “The game is growing tremendously in our region both on and off the field, and I hope to do my part to continue to expand the development of the game for both CONCACAF and FIFA.”
Gulati will formally take over his new role at the FIFA Congress in Mauritius next month but the manner of his victory will be just as big a talking point.
Caribbean countries make up the bulk of CONCACAF yet rather than bloc vote, their support was split between the two candidates, indicating continuing disunity. The fact that a good number of them voted for Gulati suggests they were not as resentful and anti-American as some sources had previously indicated.
One of Gulati’s first tasks will be to restore credibility in US soccer following their trouncing by Qatar in the 2022 World Cup ballot. Another will be to help clean up the mess left behind by Blazer and former CONCACAF president Jack Warner, both of whom were cited for financial mismanagement a few hours before today’s vote.
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