Malawi FA Chief Nyamilandu Elected To FIFA Council, Defeats Danny Jordaan

Malawi FA chief chief Walter Nyamilandu was voted onto the FIFA Council to represent Africa after coasting to a shocking win over experienced South African Danny Jordaan.

The former international football star secured the emphatic runoff victory after defeating the 2010 World Cup chief organizer by 35 to 18 votes.

Nyamilandu beat Jordaan in a runoff at a the Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh where the Confederation of African Football held its General Assembly meeting.

Nyamilandu garnered 35 votes to defeat South Africa FA president Danny Jordan by 17 votes during the second round of voting during the Caf Extraordinary General Assembly in Egypt.

The election had to be decided in round two after neither candidate accumulated 28 votes - equivalent to 50 percent plus one - in the opening round.

The victory was completed in the second round of voting when the former Wanderers defender defeated Jordaan with 35 votes to 18, making it into the FIFA Council as an executive member.

He becomes the first Malawian to have a seat at the world’s soccer governing body.

The former international player a relative unknown in international soccer politics, now joins as one of the African representatives on the world body's 37-member strategic panel headed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The special election was required after Kwesi Nyantakyi of Ghana resigned from the council in June after being accused of taking a prohibited cash gift.

He is under investigation by FIFA's ethics committee.

Jordaan and veteran Tanzanian soccer official Leodegar Tenga lost out. Tenga was eliminated in the first round of voting.

Two other candidates who were cleared to stand, Elvis Chetty of Seychelles and Nick Mwendwa of Kenya, withdrew before the election.

Jordaan, who oversaw South Africa's widely praised World Cup, previously lost in a vote for the then-FIFA executive committee in 2011.

He withdrew from an election for a council place last year.