Garnering a total of 95 votes out of 203, Lydia Nsekera was recently elected as the first female executive in FIFA history. The election was held at the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Congress held in Mauritius on May 30-31and the result is considered to be a first in the 109 years of FIFA’s existence.
Nsekera, the President of Burundi Football Association was overjoyed with the result. According to Nsekera, her election is not only a huge honor for Africa and the Burundi Football Association, but it is also a huge milestone for women the world over. In one of her interviews after the election, she said that she would strive to become an inspiration for all women. She would show FIFA and the world that females can lead. According to some speculators, Nsekera’s inclusion into the committee entails a huge progress for FIFA given the fact that the organization went on for 109 years without a female constituent.
Beating the competition
Basing on the polls, Nsekera totally dominated the election and won the majority vote. Australian Moya Dodd got a total of 70 votes while Sonia Bien-Aime garnered 38. There were no hard feelings between the three and even Dodd gave a very inspiring comment on Nsekera’s win. Dodd commented that it was a historic day not only for football but also for women. According to the Australian candidate, football is a sport loved by everybody and there should not be any discrimination within or outside the game.
Lydia Nsekera will be serving the full four year term while Dodd and Bien-Aime as co-opted members will both serve for a year.
Nsekera setting the pace
Having been elected as the first female member in FIFA’s executive committee, Nsekera intends to assert the capabilities of women in term of leadership. Lydia became the head of the Burundi Football Association in 2004. She was also among those who prepared for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic football tournaments.
With her expertise and experience, Nsekera aims to empower women by encouraging them to become football coaches. It is also her aim to set the pace for women to be elected in football committees and convince them to let their daughters play the game as well. For Burundi’s Nsekara, this is the perfect time to involve more women in the world of football.
FIFA’s redemption
Like any other sports organization, FIFA served its time as the center of scandal and controversy. There was a time when the institution got instigated due to various issues including corruption and fishy presidential elections. To make all things clear and to finally put an end to the doubt surrounding FIFA, President Sepp Blatter delivered a speech during the recently concluded FIFA Congress. Over the course of its existence, there has been a huge positive development within the organization.
President Sepp Blatter gladly announced that the IGC, also known as the Independent Governance Committee that was created in 2011, has been very successful in reforming certain complex situations surrounding FIFA. According to Blatter, he was very thrilled to declare that FIFA has finally emerged from the slumps. Blatter bluntly stated that FIFA has become stronger than before and is moving towards a brighter future.
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