FIFA Council
OFC Representation on the FIFA Council
Lambert Maltock
Maltock has led the Vanuatu Football Federation for over a decade. He was elected OFC President for the remainder of the term in 2018, before being given a four-year mandate by his peers in early 2019.
Rajesh Patel
The first FIFA Council member to serve from Fiji, Patel was elected for the term of office 2019-2023 during the OFC Extraordinary Congress in Auckland, New Zealand on March 9, 2019. Days before earning his seat, Patel helped introduce a seven-year plan intended to secure Fiji qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, and introduce a fully professional domestic football league in the country. Under his tenure Fiji has qualified for its first FIFA tournament, the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015, and the Olympic Football Tournament. Investment in the creation and ongoing support of youth leagues, for both boys and girls, is also starting to reap rewards.
Johanna Wood
Johanna Wood was elected to the FIFA Council on Saturday May 9, 2019 during the OFC Extraordinary Congress. The former chair of Central Football Federation, she is now the serving president of New Zealand Football. Her appointment to NZF made her the first female President to sit on the OFC Executive Committee, and one of only a handful of women in the role across FIFA’s 211 Member Associations globally. Wood has a strong background in governance.