Mahfuza Akhter Explained

Mahfuza Akhter
Birth Date:12 February 1967[1]
Birth Place:East Pakistan
Nationality:Bangladeshi
Member, FIFA Council
Term:2017–present
Predecessor:Moya Dodd

Mahfuza Akhter Kiron (Bengali: মাহফুজা আক্তার কিরণ; born 12 February 1967) is a Bangladeshi football administrator and a member of the FIFA Council.

In May 2017, Akhter won the election for the seat on the FIFA Council reserved for Asian women. She ran against the incumbent Australian Moya Dodd, who had held the seat from 2013 to 2016, and gained 27 votes to Dodd's 17.[2]

Akhter was questioned following an interview by the BBC World Service, when she struggled to name the current women's world champions, replying "Korea", then "Japan", and then the correct answer, the US because of her battle against cancer.[3]

In March 2019, she suffered conspiracy and was arrested for allegedly defaming the Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.[4] It was said that, Akhter had claimed that the prime minister "maintain[ed] double standard for football and cricket."[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FIFA Council Members . https://web.archive.org/web/20200719222405/https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/fifa-council/people/331831/ . dead . 19 July 2020 . 2020-07-19 . FIFA.
  2. News: Bangladeshi Mahfuza Akhter wins seat for Asian women on FIFA Council . ESPN . Associated Press . 8 May 2017 . 31 May 2017.
  3. News: Luke Brown . Fifa's newly elected female official criticised for struggling to name current women's world champions . The Independent . 8 May 2017 . 31 May 2017.
  4. News: BFF’s women wing chairman Kiron arrested in Dhaka . . 16 March 2019 . 5 July 2020.
  5. News: Bangladeshi FIFA council member jailed . . 17 March 2019 . 5 July 2020.