Indian football chief elected as Fifa council member

New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, Praful Patel, was elected a Fifa Council Member at the 29th AFC Congress held in Kuala Lumpur last week.
Patel is one of the five candidates elected to the Council. He is the first Indian to be elected as a Fifa Council member. Moments after being elected, Patel thanked all for the support.
“I am extremely humbled. I express my gratitude to all the members of the AFC who felt me suitable for the post,” he said. “The responsibility as a Council Member is huge. I would not only be representing my own country but the entire Continent. Thank you all for the confidence reposed on me,” he stated.
All India Football Federation general secretary, Kushal Das, congratulated Patel on the election. “We at the AIFF are extremely proud of him. This is a major development for India’s Football fraternity. Best wishes on his new endeavour,” he said.
Under Patel’s leadership, AIFF has been awarded AFC’s President Recognition Award for grassroots at the AFC Annual Awards in 2014 in Manila and was awarded the Best Developing Member Association at the AFC Annual Awards in 2016 in Abu Dhabi.
The successful hosting of the Fifa U-17 World Cup India in 2017 drew lavish praise from all quarters, and India has also successfully won the bid to host the Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2020. Furthermore, the Indian Club Licensing System has also been dubbed as one of the ‘best in Asia’.
Hailing Patel’s election as a “landmark for Indian Football” AIFF Senior Vice President, Subrata Dutta, said: “Congratulations to Patel. He fully deserves this honour. His leadership has taken Indian Football to greater heights. Asian Football will immensely benefit from his presence as a FIFA Council member.”