NYON, Switzerland (AP) " UEFA is planning to organize a special election for a FIFA Council place after being left with only three candidates for the four vacant seats available. European soccer's governing body originally had five contenders for the vacant positions " which currently earn $300,000 annual payments from FIFA " but now has only three. Three candidates will now be elected unopposed on April 5 at the UEFA Congress in Helsinki, Finland, and formally join the FIFA Council in Bahrain in May. UEFA said Thorsteinsson passed his FIFA eligibility check but pulled out because UEFA wants only active officials in senior elected positions. That policy, supported by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, should be formally adopted next month in Helsinki.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 14, 2017 12:00 UTC