FIFA Elects First-Ever Female to Executive Committee

Lydia Nsekera became the first woman elected to the FIFA executive committee in the governing body's century-plus existence by edging out Moya Dodd and Sonia Bien-Aime in the final vote, according to the BBC.

Nsekera is the president of the Burundi Football Federation and is also a member of the International Olympic Committee. She was previously co-opted to the committee, but the report states she's the first female to win election to a full term:

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She collected 95 of the 203 votes ahead of Australian Moya Dodd and Sonia Bien-Aime, of Turks and Caicos Islands.

Nsekera said: "I will inspire women to believe they can lead and I will support women in member associations."

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Nsekera will now serve four years on the committee. Dodd and Bien-Aime follow in her footsteps and become co-opted members with one-year terms.

The BBC also passed along comments from Dodd, who touted the achievements of all three women as a historic day for the sport:

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It's a historic day for football and a great day for women.

Football is the sport everybody loves; no-one should be excluded. And we should not only protect the game, but also fight against discrimination outside of football.

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Following her election, Nsekera will take a spot on the committee, which oversees the decision-making process for the powerful international football association.

She becomes the newest member of the group, which is elected by the FIFA congress. The membership is led by president Sepp Blatter, who's been in charge since 1998.

Paul Kelso of Sky Sports provided the remarks from Blatter to the congress after the election:

When Nsekera was co-opted to the committee last year, she detailed her journey to FIFA.com:

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It’s important for me and for my association, which put its trust in me in 2004. To be honest, I never thought back then that I’d be able to run a football association because it’s a very difficult job. When the national team loses a game, when you talk about refereeing and when there’s the slightest problem, everyone points the finger at the president of the FA. The pressure is always on.

And in Africa, no one thinks that women are cut out to be leaders, especially in football. So it’s been a long process for me to find acceptance. I’ve put a lot of hard work into it—in fact, some would say I’ve made a lot of sacrifices—and it makes me all the more happier for myself, my association and women in general.

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Nsekera's ascension to the executive committee is a positive sign of progress for FIFA, as the association went 109 years without a female member.

As the sport continues to expand, especially on the women's side, it's important to showcase that at every level, including within the association itself.