Several clubs and districts have actively encouraged Simon Åström to stand as a candidate for the chairmanship of the Swedish Football Association, says the 42-year-old, who is chairman of the elite clubs' interest organization Swedish Elite Football (Sef).
Besides that, I have also received clear signals that there is a clear majority in the movement that would support that decision and see me as a good chairman candidate, says Åström to TT.
"Broad support"
The seven districts and four elite clubs that have nominated the Sef boss do not gather a majority of the votes at the annual meeting on March 22, but the support is greater than that, according to Åström.
I wouldn't have stepped forward if I hadn't felt that there was broad support with a majority for this, he says.
Åström is already a member of the association's board on a Sef mandate and is one of two vice chairmen. Therefore, he was involved in making the criticized decision that Sweden would say yes to Saudi Arabia's hosting of the 2034 World Championship.
According to Åström, it was a unanimous decision in the board, but he says that the reactions are something to reflect on.
I also believe that we are in a situation where we need to have a broader discussion within Swedish football about how we should relate to this type of issue going forward. It's something I'd like to drive together with the movement if I were to be elected.
Why do the clubs and districts that back you want a new chairman?
I perceive that leadership is being requested, which they believe I can stand for. I'm a person who has grown up in associations at the grassroots level, I've worked in elite football for over ten years. I've been active in different parts of the Swedish Football Association for the past seven years, he says.
Noted criticism of Reinfeldt
Has it been mentioned during the process leading up to your decision to stand as a candidate that there is criticism of Fredrik Reinfeldt as a leader?
I'm standing as a chairman candidate with the ambition to primarily talk about what I, in collaboration with others in football, want to achieve going forward, says Simon Åström and continues:
It's clear that I've noted that there is criticism of the leadership, but I don't relate to that.
Daniel Kihlström/TT
Facts: Simon Åström
TT
Simon Åström was born in 1982 and grew up in Kumla.
He is a trained economist and has worked in the banking and finance world before becoming CEO of Örebro SK in the fall of 2014. In May 2022, he was elected chairman of Swedish Elite Football.
Over the past seven years, he has held various roles within the Swedish Football Association. He has sat on the nomination committee, the competition committee, and has been a member of the association's board since 2023.
