Bangladesh Football Federation executive member and women’s wing chairman Mahfuza Akhter Kiron lost to Kanaya Keomany of Laos by 7-36 votes in the FIFA Council Members election but she was re-elected as a member (female) in the AFC Executive Committee.
Kiron was unopposed from South Zone in the election of EC member (female) in the AFC Executive Committee.
Kiron for the first time won the election for the seat on the FIFA Council reserved for Asian women at the 27th AFC Congress in May 2017 in Bahrain beating the incumbent Council member Moya Dodd of Australia by 27-17 votes.
Later, she secured the simple majority obtaining the most votes at the 29th AFC Congress 2019 in Malaysia and extended her tenure for four-year from 2019 to 2023.
Kiron previously served on the Organising Committees for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 and the two FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups -- Canada 2014 and Papua New Guinea 2016.
The polls were held during the 33rd AFC Congress 2023 in Manama, Bahrain on Wednesday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was present on the occasion.
The incumbent AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain was re-elected as he remained unopposed for this post.
Besides, five vice-presidents -- Hachem Haidar of Lebanon (West), Mehdi Taj of Iran (Central), Ugen Tsechup of Bhutan (South), Zaw Zaw of Myanmar (ASEAN) and Ganbaatar Amgalanbaatar of Mongolia (East) -- were also unopposed.
Eight EXCO members -- Abdullah Ahmed Alshaheen Alrabeea of Kuwait and  Abdullah Nasser Aljneibi of United Arab Emirates (West), Irmatov Ravshan of Uzbekistan (Central), Bassam Adeel Jaleel of Maldives and Pankaj Bikram Nembang of Nepal (South), Chris Nikou of Australia and Pol. Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung of Thailand (ASEAN) and Fok, Kai Shan Eric of Hong Kong (East).
 Five female EXCO members -- Susan Riyad Abdelrahim Alshalabi of Palestine (West), Mahfuza Akhter Kiron of Bangladesh (South), Kanya Keomany of Laos (ASEAN) and Han Un Gyong of Korea (East).  There was no candidate for the female EXCO member in the Central Zone.
 Six FIFA Council Members from AFC -- Kohzo Tashima of Japan, Datuk Haji Hamidin Bin Haji Mohd Amin of Malaysia, Mariano Araneta Jr. of Philippines, Sheikh Hamad Khalifa A. A. Al Thani of Qatar, Yasser H. Almisehal of Saudi Arabia, Kanya Keomany of Laos.