Sunil Gulati Elected to FIFA Executive Committee, Will Replace Chuck Blazer

Sunil Gulati, the current president of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), has been elected to the FIFA Executive Committee after an extremely narrow margin. Gulati won the vote 18-17, defeating runner-up FMF President Justino Compean, of Mexico.

Chuck Blazer previously held the CONCACAF seat on the FIFA Executive Committee, one in which he had for 17 years. Gulati will formerly replace Blazer on May 30, 2013.

Gulati will serve a four-year term on the FIFA Committee, representing the CONCACAF region of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The FIFA Executive Committee is made up of 25 people representing each of the six member confederations of FIFA. Chaired by President Sepp Blatter, the ExCo meets at least twice a year and serves a variety of functions, including determining the place and dates of the final competitions of FIFA tournaments and the number of teams taking part from each Confederation, appointing FIFA delegates to the International Football Association Board, and electing and dismissing the General Secretary on the proposal of the FIFA President.

What does this mean to soccer fans in the United States? It’s too early to tell, but with Gulati in power instead of Blazer, it’s hopeful that the USSF President will be a more respectable FIFA Committee member after it was revealed today that Chuck Blazer reportedly received $20 million in compensation from CONCACAF during his tenure.

Will Gulati’s place on the FIFA Committee improve the United States’s chances of hosting a World Cup in 2026 or 2030? We’ll have to wait and see, but it should improve relations between MLS and Sepp Blatter. The FIFA President recently slammed Major League Soccer and casted doubts on the future of the American top flight league.