KUALA LUMPUR: The tussle for president of the Asian Football Confederation remains a four-way contest after confirmation of nominations for an extraordinary election congress in Kuala Lumpur next month.

Nominations for a range of roles had to be submitted by the start of last month for ‘scrutiny’ as the confederation tries to extricate itself from the paranoia, confusion and scandal of a near-decade under the control of Mohamed Bin Hammam.

The Qatari businessman, suspended from football in the spring of 2011, was finally banned for life last December, clearing the way for elections.

An AFC  statement said the presidency will be contested by Worawi Makudi (Thailand), Hafez Ibrahim Al Medlej (Saudi Arabia), Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (Bahrain) and Yousuf Al Serkal (UAE), for a tenure of two years, until 2015.

Acting president Zhang Jilong, from China, decided not to stand, leaving Makudi alone among nominations from the eastern region and a three-way squabble from the west. Makudi is already a member of FIFA’s executive conmmittee though another AFC FIFA delegate, Manilal Fernando of Sri Lanka, was recently suspended from football for three months by the world federation pending further investigations.

Other elections include a contest for a seat on the FIFA executive committee between Hassan Al Thawadi (Qatar) and Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.

Australia’s Moya Dodd is sole nominee for the post as AFC vice-president (female) while she is listed to contest the other two available spots for the AFC executive along with Han Un-gyong (DPR Korea), Moya Dodd (Australia) and Susan Shalabi Molano (Palestine).

An ordinary AFC congress will be held on May 3 to consider reports, etc.

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