San Gil, Barnhart confirmed for newly restructured FIFA committees

[January 2, 2026 – Harmon, Guam] Guam Football Association President Valentino San Gil and GFA Executive Committee Member and Chairperson of the GFA Women’s Football Committee Kelley Barnhart have both been confirmed as members of the FIFA Futsal Committee and FIFA Women’s Football Development Committee, respectively, during the inaugural FIFA Committees Plenary Session in Doha, Qatar last month.

San Gil

“The inaugural FIFA Committees Plenary session in Doha was a momentous occasion and the start of a special, new era for FIFA as we strengthen our unified commitment to global football development through shared experiences and learnings of over 500 committee members gathered from 211 countries,” said Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, in a social media post collaboration with FIFA. “We are eager to join forces, collaborate and exchange knowhow to build a stronger FIFA and help football all over the world become more robust in terms of opportunities, governance, structure, and investments.

“Football is love, it is joy, it gives peace, and today was one more reminder that it unites us all. I am grateful to each one of the committee members for their dedication and hard work,” Infantino added.

The FIFA Statutes were amended at the 74^th FIFA Congress to include a restructuring of the FIFA Standing Committees, “with the stated objective of ensuring that more Member Associations are involved in FIFA’s decision-making processes around its increasing levels of activity and responsibility globally, with more female representation within these bodies to be instituted as part of this initiative,” as stated in FIFA Circular no. 1947 distributed Oct. 7, 2025. Following the approved restructure, FIFA circulated a call for the nomination of candidates for each of the newly determined FIFA Standing Committees to all FIFA Member Associations and confederations.

Barnhart

The same circular said, “the analysis and consideration of the nominations received took into account the preferences expressed by nominated candidates, their profile and experience, their diversity of background, and the need for balance of gender and geographic representation.”

GFA nominated San Gil and Barnhart for their respective committees during this call for nominations. San Gil attended the plenary session in Doha in person, while Barnhart joined via Zoom. Both are members of their respective committees for the 2025-2029 term.

The FIFA Futsal Committee is led by Chairperson Vadim Lasenko of Latvia and Deputy Chairperson Gerardo Paiz of Guatemala. Joining San Gil as members of the committee are Abdulah Ahmed (Libya), Jose Luis Alder (Paraguay), Nadir Bouzenad (Algeria), Edwin Chand (Fiji), Semaan Douaihy (Lebanon), John Gutierrez (Philippines), David Loriya (Kazakhstan), Akylbek Mamatov (Krygyz Republic), Patrick Massenat (Haiti), Javier Mendez Cartier (Argentina), Sergio Merchan (Spain), Matthew Paris (Malta), Oliet Rodriguez (Cuba), Fernando Alves Simoes (Angola), Iveta Stoyanova (Bulgaria), Andrei Tirtirau (Namibia), Rafael Vargas (Costa Rica), and Andrei Vasilevich (Belarus). The appointed FIFA Council Delegate in the committee is Souleiman Hassan Waberi of Djibouti, according the FIFA Council, Independent Committees, and Standing Committees document on FIFA.com

The FIFA Women’s Football Development Committee is led by Chairperson Laura Georges of France and Deputy Chairperson Olive Dol-Somse of Central African Republic. Joining Barnhart as members of the committee are Valanka Natasha Alemao (India), Fahmo Ali (Somalia), Sly-Vania Armel (Comoros), Mette Bach Kjaer (Denmark), Alejandra Banegas (Honduras), Deepika Colombage (Sri Lanka), Marion Daube (Switzerland), Bernarda Flores Ivanovic (Bolivia), Wilma Godet (Cayman Islands), Andrea Johnson (Guyana), Roseline Konneh (Liberia), Cheryl Lamont (Northern Ireland), Karl Petter Loken (Norway), Konul Mehdiyeva (Azerbaijan), Victoria Yongule Nasera (South Sudan), Aicha Henriette Ndiaye (Senegal), Jacqueline Ndimurukundo (Burundi), Ivan Novella (Colombia), Eleni Panayiotou (Cyprus), Jacqueline Pelayo (Belize), Gwendolyn Salmon (Antigua and Barbuda), Phatkanit Srigatesook (Myanmar), Theresa von Herderbrandt (Samoa), and Zimbiri (Bhutan). The appointed FIFA Council Delegate in the committee is Johanna Wood of New Zealand, according to the FIFA Council, Independet Committees, and Standing Committees document on FIFA.com

The 2024 FIFA Statutes list 35 standing committees including the FIFA Futsal Committee and FIFA Women’s Football Development Committee. The other 33 FIFA Standing Committees are

• Finance
• Development
• Men’s National Team Competitions
• Women’s National Team Competitions
• Men’s Club Competitions
• Women’s Club Competitions
• Olympic Football
• Youth Boys’ Competitions
• Youth Girls’ Competitions
• Beach Soccer
• Men’s Football Stakeholders
• Women’s Football Stakeholders
• Member Associations
• Referees
• Medical
• Men’s Players
• Women’s Players
• Men’s Coaches
• Women’s Coaches
• Fans
• Technical Development
• Grassroots and Amateur Football
• Institutional Relations
• Legal
• Stadium and Security
• Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination
• Football Social Responsibility
• Football Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation
• Commercial and Marketing Advisory
• Media and Communications
• Football Esport
• Future of Football
• Laws of the Game