Well and truly over: AFC elections for new Fifa council called off after ‘No’ vote halts extraordinary congress
Hong Kong Football Association is one of 42 of the 44 members who had voting rights to vote down the agenda of the meeting in Goa
Asian elections for three seats on the new Fifa Council were called off after just 27 minutes on Tuesday after delegates to the Asian Football Confederation’s extraordinary congress in Goa voted down the agenda of the meeting.
The Hong Kong Football Association was one of the 42 out of 44 members who had voting rights at the meeting raised a “No” card when Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa called for the agenda of the meeting to be passed.
After members applauded after voting 42-1 against the agenda, Hong Kong Football Association chief executive Mark Sutcliffe confirmed the congress will not resume, saying “it’s well and truly over.”
Delegates said the agenda was rejected because a senior Qatari official had been banned from standing, just 24 hours before the vote was due to take place.
World governing body Fifa banned Saoud Al Mohannadi, vice president of the Qatar Football Association, from the election on Sunday because of an ongoing corruption investigation and recommended a two-and-a-half-year ban, leaving six candidates.