It’s not very often you get a good news story about the FIFA executive committee. The governing body’s upper echelons have usually been dogged by a constant stream of corruption headlines but the news that Burundi FA president Lydia Nsekera has become the first woman to be elected to the committee is certainly a positive landmark for the organisation.
“I will inspire women to believe they can lead and I will support women in member associations” she said, adding to the BBC: “In the executive committee, we work as a team, but personally I will carry on working in order to have more women as coaches in grassroots football. I will push for more women to be elected and ask parents to let their daughters play football.”
Certainly the news is also a significant positive for Africa and Burundi in particular, as the continent continues to rise in prominence in the game via excellent teams and the success of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In truth, it’s surprising that a woman hadn’t already been elected with women’s football long a much vouched for and improving sport in itself. Indeed, Nsekera’s rise to this position has seen her pick up many similar landmark accolades. She was the first woman to be co-opted to the executive committee last year and she was also part of FIFA’s organising committee for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic football tournaments as well as being on the International Olympic Committee.
But more importantly she is in a position to positively influence a FIFA’s governance, something which is widely viewed as being old-fashioned and hindered by corruption and incompetence. That she also sits on an independent governance committee set up in 2011 to tackle corruption within the organisation has therefore afforded her a position whereby she can help to distil this cultural hindrance in the organisation. She can also obviously use her newly-gained authority to continue the furthering of the women’s and African cause in the game.
Her victory was sealed with 95 of the 203 votes on offer and she will now serve a four-year term on the committee. Australian Moya Dodd gained 70 votes with Sonia Bien-Aime from the Turks and Caicos Islands winning 38 votes following voting in the Mauritias. Both the runner-ups will serve one-year co-opted membership terms. The Australian Dodd called the
“It’s a historic day for football and a great day for women,” Dodd said. ”Football is the sport everybody loves; no-one should be excluded. And we should not only protect the game, but also fight against discrimination outside of football.”
By William Barns-Graham
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