CAF Member Associations have converged in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm Al Sheikh where they are expected to vote for the new FIFA Council Member from CAF Anglophone region that will replace Kwesi Nyantakyi who resigned in June 2018 after corruption allegations against him.
Five candidates that include Danny Jordan(South Africa),Leodegar Tenga(Tanzania),Elvis Chetty(Seychelles),Walter Nyamilandu(Malawi) and Nick Mwendwa(Kenya) will be seeking to join FIFA’s top panel.
It is likely to be a ding dong battle that will see experienced candidates fighting out with their upcoming challengers in what has been dubbed the battle in Sharm in a ding dong battle.
The approach to the elections has seen mixed reactions in a race that promises to be tight with grapevine some candidates have already got a head start getting backing from important individuals at CAF.
A look at the candidates:
DANNY JORDAAN (South Africa)
Before he organized Africa’s first World Cup, Jordaan was an anti-apartheid activist and then politician who served as a member of parliament for Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress party from 1994-97.
His international reputation was largely built on South Africa’s successful World Cup in 2010 where he was the CEO of the winning bid.
LEODEGAR TENGA (Tanzania)
The 63-year-old Tenga is a former Tanzania player and captain and the former head of his country’s soccer federation for two terms where he was also Cecafa President for two terms. He is well-liked by many delegates because of his humbleness and openness. He lost to Nyantakyi in a vote for the FIFA Council last year. Like Jordaan, Tenga is a member of the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
ELVIS CHETTY (Seychelles)
Chetty is a lawyer who has worked on the FIFA body that handles disputes between clubs and players. He has been head of the Seychelles federation since 2012 but, like Mwendwa and Nyamilandu, is a relative newcomer to African soccer politics and seen as an outside shot for the FIFA Council place.
NICK MWENDWA (Kenya)
At 39, Mwendwa is the youngest of the candidates but has refused to bow out of the race because of his perceived inexperience. The founder and CEO of a Kenyan IT and tech company Rosebank Solutions , Mwendwa is the owner of a club and the president of the Kenyan federation.
WALTER NYAMILANDU (Malawi)
Another former international player turned administrator, Nyamilandu balances his work as the head of the Malawi Football Association with a role as the Malawian marketing head of an international sugar producer. He is also a preacher at a Pentecostal church.He has been the Malawi FA President for four terms.
