Qatar: Top official barred from FIFA election

Qatar Football Association (QFA) vice president Saoud Al-Mohannadi has been barred by soccer’s world governing body Fifa from standing for election to its supervisory body the Fifa Council. This followed an investigation by Fifa’s ethics committee. Al-Mohannadi had been a favourite to secure one of three places on the council in a ballot by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in India in late September. Others candidates included former Iranian Football Federation president Ali Kafashian Naeni. Following the Fifa ruling, the AFC meeting broke up without any officials being elected. The AFC is led by president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.