Abrupt resignation of Oceania Football Confederation President

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has announced the departure of its President, David Chung, with immediate effect.

According to an OFC statement, Chung “took the decision after much deliberation citing personal reasons.”

Chung’s departure comes just two days before an OFC Executive Committee meeting to be held in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday. The New Zealand Herald is reporting that the OFC executive was considering a vote of no confidence in Chung at that meeting. 

The Malaysia-born Chung, aged 55, took over as OFC President on a temporary basis in 2010 after the resignation of Reynald Temarri of Tahiti for breaching FIFA’s corruption rules.

Chung was then elected to the post in January 2011 and re-elected in 2015. 

He was made a senior FIFA Vice President last September and was a member of the FIFA Bureau, a powerful group made up of the confederation presidents plus FIFA President Gianni Infantino that handles all immediate matters between meetings of the FIFA Council.

In a short statement, FIFA said it “has taken note of the resignation of David Chung as a member of the FIFA Council and as President of OFC” and requested that the OFC “decide on his replacement on the FIFA Council for the remaining period of office”.

Chung remains the head of the Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA), where he has been in a power struggle over the past 18 months with a breakaway group that claims he rigged the 2016 PNGFA elections.

Chung denies the allegations.

Image: David Chung. 

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