Muammar’s withdrawal reduces competition for OFA vice-chairman posts

MUSCAT: With one of the five contestants pulling out of the race, there will now be four aspirants for the vice-chairmanship of Oman Football Assocaition (OFA).

The Sultanate’s soccer governing body is scheduled to hold elections on September 29 to elect the board members for a four-year term.

With no-one coming forward to challenge Sheikh Salim Al Wahaibi for the chairman’s post — to be vacated by Sayyid Khalid bin Hamed Al Busaidi, the major interest in the forthcoming polls is who among the five contestants will take the two vice-chairmanship posts.

But that number, according to the OFA, has now been reduced to four with Muammar Al Marhoon’s decision to withdraw from the race. The OFA on Sunday tweeted confirming Muammar’s pullout from the race.

The four who will now vie for the two posts are Issa Al Sunaidy, Ali Said Al Fadhil, Jassim Al Shukaili and Mohsin Al Masroori.

The September 29 elections will also see the election of nine members to the board.

The OFA had earlier informed that a total of 28 candidates will be contesting the posts of board members and they are Saif Al Ghafri, Qutaibah Al Ghailani, Nasser Al Balushi, Sultan Al Hosni, Ibrahim Al Alawi, Nasr Al Wahaibi, Ahmed Al Rashidi, Hamed Al Maamari, Humeid Al Jabri, Mohammed Al Shuhi, Nasser Al Riyami, Ahmed Al Farsi, Mohammed Al Qasmi, Suleiman Al Habsi, Rabe’ea Auladthani, Abdulhakim Al Omairi, Abdullah Al Mardi, Malik Al Shuhi, Waleed Al Maskari, Said Al Hashmi, Anees Al Nahri, Younis Al Hajri, Ziyad Al Balushi, Jaber Al Mukhaini, Said Al Qasmi, Ahmed Al Salmani, Salim Al Rabee’a and Abdulhakim Al Shanfari.