Reinfeldt Challenged - He Wants to Become the New Chairman

The Swedish Football Association's chairman Fredrik Reinfeldt gets an opponent candidate at the annual meeting in March. Simon Åström, chairman of Swedish Elite Football, is nominated as a candidate for the chairman post.

» Published: January 03 2025

Reinfeldt Challenged - He Wants to Become the New Chairman
Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT

At the annual meeting on March 22, Fredrik Reinfeldt's two-year term as chairman of the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) expires. In November, the former Prime Minister announced that he is running for re-election.

Now, Simon Åström is stepping forward as a counter-candidate, the election committee announces on the association's website. Åström has been the chairman of the elite clubs' interest organization Svensk Elitfotboll (Sef) since May 2022 and was previously the CEO of Örebro SK. He sits on the SvFF board with a mandate from Sef.

Will step down if rejected

The last day to nominate a candidate for the chairmanship is January 15, and on February 15, the election committee will present its proposal. If the election committee proposes another candidate, Reinfeldt will step down.

I think that's quite natural. An election committee has to find out who has support. I will respect that. Even if it goes against me, Reinfeldt said according to TV4's Fotbollskanalen during the representative meeting at the end of November.

According to information from Fotbollskanalen, support for Åström is expected to be around 60 percent of the votes. It is the districts and elite clubs in the two highest series on the women's and men's sides that are eligible to vote at the annual meeting.

The election committee states that seven districts, as well as the clubs AIK, Hammarby, Västerås SK, and Kristianstad, are nominating Åström.

Reinfeldt has received much criticism during his nearly two years as chairman. Most recently in December, when Sweden gave the green light for Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 Men's World Championship.

National team player Kosovare Asllani was critical, and lawyer Kerstin Elserth resigned from her role as chairman of the appeals committee. She called the decision "spineless".

Now it's enough, I think. I don't want to have any connection to Swedish football when it's like this, Elserth told Fotbollskanalen.

Turbulence in the association

Hammarby has an annual meeting decision to "at every given opportunity work for its own or another suitable candidate" other than Reinfeldt, and he received early criticism for expressing positive views on the video assistant referee (VAR) system in Swedish football.

During the autumn, there has also been turbulence in the association after the newspaper Offside reported that current and former employees are directing heavy criticism at the working environment and association leadership.

The election of the chairman of the Swedish Football Association will take place at the annual meeting on March 22. Currently, Fredrik Reinfeldt (running for re-election) and Simon Åström are the only candidates.

The nomination period ends on January 15. The election committee will now interview Åström and assess whether he is eligible for the chairmanship.

The election committee will present its proposal to the eligible voters on February 15.

The following have nominated Åström: clubs AIK (team in both women's and men's Allsvenskan), Hammarby (do), Kristianstad (women's Allsvenskan), and Västerås SK (Superettan). Districts: Dalarna, Gästrikland, Medelpad, Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Västmanland, and Uppland.

It is the 24 district associations and clubs in the two highest series on the women's and men's sides (a total of 60 clubs) that are eligible to vote.

The clubs in the men's and women's Allsvenskan have two votes each, while the clubs in Superettan (men) and Elitettan (women) have one vote each.

The districts have a total of 172 votes. Three votes per district, and then 100 additional votes that are distributed proportionally according to how many league licenses the district has.

At the 2024 annual meeting, for example, Stockholm had a total of 20 votes, Skåne 16, and Småland 13 votes, while smaller districts like Dalsland and Medelpad had only a total of 4 votes each.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Real Madrid Stars Fined but
1 MIN READ

Real Madrid Stars Fined but Cleared for Champions League Quarterfinal

Norwegian Football Association Launches X
1 MIN READ

Norwegian Football Association Launches X Account to Clarify VAR Decisions

Swedish Goalkeeper Oliver Dovin's Season
1 MIN READ

Swedish Goalkeeper Oliver Dovin's Season Ends with Cruciate Injury

Truls Möregårdh Reaches Quarterfinals at
1 MIN READ

Truls Möregårdh Reaches Quarterfinals at World Table Tennis Championship

Kevin De Bruyne to Depart
2 MIN READ

Kevin De Bruyne to Depart Manchester City After Season

Federica Brignone's Olympic Hopes Uncertain
2 MIN READ

Federica Brignone's Olympic Hopes Uncertain After Knee Injury

AI-Aida Joins Allsvenskan Broadcasts for
1 MIN READ

AI-Aida Joins Allsvenskan Broadcasts for Unique Match Analysis

Isak's Fitness in Doubt for
1 MIN READ

Isak's Fitness in Doubt for Newcastle's Clash with Leicester

Duplantis Absent as Michael Johnson
2 MIN READ

Duplantis Absent as Michael Johnson Launches Grand Slam Track Event

Crashes and Grass Fires Disrupt
1 MIN READ

Crashes and Grass Fires Disrupt Chaotic F1 Practice at Suzuka

Northug Eyes Olympic Comeback with
1 MIN READ

Northug Eyes Olympic Comeback with Mexico's Support

Ullmark Shines as Ottawa Edges
1 MIN READ

Ullmark Shines as Ottawa Edges Tampa Bay in Playoff Push

Sweden Advances Toward Curling Semifinals
1 MIN READ

Sweden Advances Toward Curling Semifinals with Win Over Czech Republic

Swedish Golfers Shine in Las
1 MIN READ

Swedish Golfers Shine in Las Vegas LPGA Tour Match Play

Miami Heat's Winning Streak Ends
1 MIN READ

Miami Heat's Winning Streak Ends with Last-Second Loss to Memphis

Ovechkin's Ties to Putin Stir
3 MIN READ

Ovechkin's Ties to Putin Stir Controversy as NHL Record Nears

Ludvig Åberg Struggles in Masters
1 MIN READ

Ludvig Åberg Struggles in Masters Warm-Up Round in Texas

Apelgren Leads Pick Szeged to
1 MIN READ

Apelgren Leads Pick Szeged to Champions League Quarterfinals Over PSG

Henrik von Eckermann Faultless but
2 MIN READ

Henrik von Eckermann Faultless but Trails in World Championship Final

AIK Levels Semifinal with Karlskoga
2 MIN READ

AIK Levels Semifinal with Karlskoga Thanks to Fitzgerald's Four Goals

Timrå's Anton Lundmark Joins NHL
1 MIN READ

Timrå's Anton Lundmark Joins NHL Champion Florida for 2025 Season

Sweden Boosts Playoff Hopes with
1 MIN READ

Sweden Boosts Playoff Hopes with Key Win Over Scotland

Johan Hedberg Named New Head
1 MIN READ

Johan Hedberg Named New Head Coach of Leksand

Arsenal's Gabriel Out for Season
1 MIN READ

Arsenal's Gabriel Out for Season After Thigh Injury

Barcelona Wins Court Battle to
1 MIN READ

Barcelona Wins Court Battle to Register Olmo and Víctor

Ebba Andersson Dominates Swedish Ski
1 MIN READ

Ebba Andersson Dominates Swedish Ski Championship with Two-Minute Lead

Sweden to Host Algeria in
1 MIN READ

Sweden to Host Algeria in June Friendly at Strawberry Arena

Olympic Expansion Praised: Women's Football
3 MIN READ

Olympic Expansion Praised: Women's Football to Feature 16 Teams

Petter Northug's Olympic Comeback Hindered
2 MIN READ

Petter Northug's Olympic Comeback Hindered by Past Drug Conviction

Halfvarsson Struggles to 51st in
1 MIN READ

Halfvarsson Struggles to 51st in Swedish Ski Championship Opener

Norwegian Lise Klaveness Joins Uefa
2 MIN READ

Norwegian Lise Klaveness Joins Uefa Board as Andriy Shevchenko Misses Out

Finland Exits Bandy World Championship
1 MIN READ

Finland Exits Bandy World Championship Over Financial Strain

Federica Brignone Suffers Multiple Leg
1 MIN READ

Federica Brignone Suffers Multiple Leg Fractures in Ski Crash

FIFA Proposes Equalizing Men's and
1 MIN READ

FIFA Proposes Equalizing Men's and Women's Football Teams for 2028 Olympics

Henrik von Eckermann Eyes Historic
3 MIN READ

Henrik von Eckermann Eyes Historic Third Straight World Cup Title

USA and UK Poised to
1 MIN READ

USA and UK Poised to Host Expanded Women's World Championships

Swedish Football Boosts Support for
1 MIN READ

Swedish Football Boosts Support for National Team Parents with Young Kids

Verstappen Criticizes Red Bull's Quick
1 MIN READ

Verstappen Criticizes Red Bull's Quick Swap of Teammate Lawson

Vancouver's Playoff Hopes Dim After
2 MIN READ

Vancouver's Playoff Hopes Dim After 5-0 Loss to Seattle

Swedish Rookie Pelle Larsson Shines
2 MIN READ

Swedish Rookie Pelle Larsson Shines as Miami Ends Boston's Streak