April 9 – Laura McAllister, the Football Association of Wales nominee for Europe’s female place on the FIFA Council, has launched her manifesto ahead of the election on April 20, highlighting her experience in football and how that, along with her professional skills, make her the ideal candidate to represent UEFA’s 55 member nations at the top table of world football.
Five years ago her campaign for the same position came to an abrupt end because of an antiquated rule that prevented a second candidate from the British home nations holding a position on the FIFA council.
But in an interview with Insideworldfootball last month, she said that if the result of the UEFA ballot is based on experience, knowledge, commitment, goodwill and vision, she had all the attributes necessary to unseat the present incumbent, Italy’s Evelina Christillin, in a two-horse race.
McAllister hopes her credibility as a genuine football candidate – in contrast to Christillin whose background is in skiing and tourism but who has connections with the Agnelli family at Juventus – will stand her in good stead.
In her manifesto released this week, she picked up the same theme.
“I am committed to protecting the integrity of football at every level, to ensure that our game is accessible and available to all and I am ready to be innovative in my approach,” says McAllister, the former Welsh captain who has held senior roles in sports leadership and governance and is a key member of UEFA’s Women’s Football Strategy Steering Group.
McAllister sets out the following core themes on which she has been campaigning:
- Member Associations & Clubs: Nurturing the game in all its forms and ensuring football touches and enriches every community.
- Competitive Balance: Assisting every association along its journey to strengthen football for everyone, everywhere.
- Women’s Football: The game has enormous untapped potential and represents a growth opportunity, both in terms of participation but also commercially on a worldwide level.
- Integrity, Governance & Tackling Abuse: The integrity of football is paramount and doping, match fixing and corruption must all be tackled. A strong approach to online abuse must also be a priority.
“I will use my football background and pedigree, aligned with my professional skills, to work tirelessly to develop and advance our game for everyone,” is the message she is communicating to UEFA’s member associations.
“I pledge that my door will always be open to ensure that I am able to represent everyone’s priorities and concerns to the very best of my ability.”
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