KUALA LUMPUR: Hassan Al Thawadi, leader of Qatar’s World Cup-winning bid and now organising boss, wants to step up on to the FIFA executive committee writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Al Thawadi, formally the secretary-general of the Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022 and an eloquent promoter of the Gulf state’s footballing ambitions, is one of two nominations for the post of FIFA exco delegate at the Asian confederation’s “Thursday thriller” elections day on May 2.

The last Qatari on the FIFA exco was the controversial Mohamed Bin Hammam who has been banned from football for life by the world federation over allegations of misusing AFC funds while its president.

Logic would appear to demand that membership of the FIFA exco features representation from the 2022 World Cup. However Al Thawadi will face awkward – and local, regional – opposition fromBahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa – who is also standing for the AFC presidency.

Nominations for elective posts at an extraordinary congress in Kuala Lumpur on May 2 closed on Sunday. The AFC has issued formal confirmation that they are:

AFC President (2013-2015)

Dato’ Worawi Makudi (FIFA exco member,Thailand)

Dr Hafez Ibrahim Al Medlej (Saudi Arabia)

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (Bahrain)

Yousuf Al Serkal (UAE)

FIFA Executive Committee member (2013-2017)

Hassan Al Thawadi (Qatar)

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (Bahrain)

AFC Vice-President (Female; 2013-2017)

Moya Dodd (Australia)

Two AFC Executive Committee members (Females; 2013-2017)

Han Un-gyong (DPR Korea)

Moya Dodd (Australia)

Susan Shalabi Molano (Palestine)

The nominations “will now be scrutinised” by the AFC with the finalised list of candidates being notified to the 47 member associations one month before congress.

An Ordinary Congress convenes the following day.

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