Moya Dodd Snubbed; New Council Member Can’t Name Current Women’s Champions

After defeating favorite Moya Dodd, newly elected FIFA Council Member Mahfuza Akhter Kiron needed three guesses to name the current Women’s World Champions.

After beating out Moya Dodd by a margin of 27-17 to win the seat as a representative for Asian football, Mani Djazmi, of BBC World Football, if she knew who the reigning Women’s World Champions were.

Not the best way to show off your qualifications.

It’s possible that Kiron initially thought that he was asking about the current Asian champions. Even if that is the case, however, she still needed a second guess to get that right. Alarming, considering she now represents both teams’ region.

To fail to answer that question is akin to any representative of the NFL suggesting that perhaps the Edmonton Eskimos won the most recent Super Bowl, and then to guess that maybe the Atlanta Falcons did, before finally choosing the New England Patriots. Even USWNT and Olympique Lyonnais forward Alex Morgan couldn’t contain her frustration:

Dodd Denied

Certainly, it’s possible that Kiron was simply having a bad first day—something that almost everyone can commiserate with. Her election points to a larger issue, however, one prevalent in both men’s and women’s soccer.

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Moya Dodd’s experience as both a player and international organizer made her a clear favorite from the start. Kiron, meanwhile, had little to no experience in either department. That’s not to say that she is inherently unfit for the job, just that Dodd is more qualified.

Kiron does have a background in organizing in the past, but it is primarily limited to Bangladesh.

Dodd, on the other hand, has both national and international experience. She currently sits on the board of both the Football Federation Australia and the Asian Football Confederation, the latter of which saw her voted in as vice-president in 2009.

One bit of experience demands special attention, however:

Dodd served as a co-opted member of the FIFA Executive Committee from 2013-2016, but only after losing the initial election to Lydia Nsekera of Burundi.

Nsekera’s win meant that she would serve on the Committee for four years. Dodd would only serve on a 12-month basis but then was co-opted twice more.

Similarly to this election, Dodd had far more experience than her opponent.

Hope for the Future?

The biggest concern from this election is regarding whether FIFA has learned from its mistakes involving petty politics.

No one can accurately explain why Dodd was yet again passed over for this position, especially when she boasts even more experience now than she had in 2013. Most theories suggest that Dodd’s outspoken criticism of FIFA has done her no favors.

Dodd has been a vocal proponent of change in FIFA, especially after the controversy and investigation that surrounded many high-ranking officials in 2015.

Perhaps her most radical idea is changing the minimum representation of women in the 37 member council from 6—one for each confederation—to 30%.

Dodd has argued in the past that such a number encourages organic, creative thinking and leads to diverse ideas that help companies and organizations grow. Unfortunately, we may not get to see Dodd help implement those ideas.

With its decision, FIFA has shown that it has far more interest in maintaining the status quo, rather than providing a venue for progress. Dodd should have won this election unanimously, but the FIFA Council are obviously too intimidated by such an outspoken woman and the changes she wants.

Next: Alex Morgan and Lyon Claim Title

While the result of this election is frustrating to women’s soccer fans the world over, it was certainly most disappointing for Moya Dodd herself. She hasn’t let it show, however. After the election, she had this to say:

“I retain great faith in the future success of our game. I, like you, hope to be part of it.”

Well said, Moya. We hope you are part of it, too.