Aivar Pohlak re-elected as president of Estonian FA

Aivar Pohlak was re-elected for a sixth term as president of the Estonian Football Association (EJL) at a general assembly held in Tallinn on Thursday afternoon, comfortably beating rival Ragnar Klavan, a former Liverpool F.C. defender, by 68 votes to 34.
All 106 EJL members elect the chair, with a victory requiring an absolute majority, i.e., over half the vote.
On the day, a total of 102 delegates voted at the assembly, which started at 2 p.m. and with the result announced after 5 p.m., and there were no spoiled ballots.
This means Pohlak, EJL president since 2007 and in April elected to the UEFA Executive Committee, will serve another four-year term.
"Thank you. It's actually kind of strange—when the UEFA Executive Committee elections were held, the way I talked to people and how I understood the result was exactly the result I got," were Pohlak's initial comments after hearing the result. "And today was exactly the same. So, it's worth believing in people. Thanks again to everyone," he went on.
Pohlak says he now wants to proceed with reorganizing the EJL. "We are actually in the middle of restructuring the football association as an organization. We started this about a year ago, maybe a little less. The presidential election circus which emerged made us pause the process at the end of last year. Now the reorganization of the football association as an organization must be completed," he continued.
Pohlak denied allegations of using "phantom clubs" to obtain any votes, noting that the EJL had earlier struck off about 25 inactive clubs, noting nearly all of the 106 constituent members voted.
He also shed more light on his tactic of keeping out of the public eye during the campaigning period, which lasted around six months, compared with Klavan's much more high-profile campaign.
Pohlak said this was borne out of a desire to avoid confrontation and division in football.
"As it was clear from the very beginning that this was going to be a path of confrontation, and it would be impossible to have a normal dialogue here. There would only be one big fight," he told ERR.
"My worldview is that I don't believe it's possible to make progress in any field through a logic of confrontation," he went on, adding this is why he "chose a strategy that wouldn't lead to a situation where afterwards there are two sides that can't shake hands or look each other in the eye."
He added that he is confident that the community is not divided and is moving in the same direction, thanks to this avoiding conflict.
Gerd Müller and Daniil Savitski were elected as the first vice-presidents.
Returned board members include former national goalkeeper Mart Poom and former top striker and current Naiste Meistriliiga club Pärnu JK Manager Anastassia Morkovkina.
Ragnar Klavan, former national team captain, announced his candidacy late last year and his program included plans to raise coaches' salaries and modernize the federation, in contrast with Polak's image as allegedly holding back the development of Estonian football. Klavan had assembled a team which included prominent figures as former justice chancellor Alar Jõks and former defense forces commander Gen. Martin Herem, and had also received a glowing endorsement from his former manager at Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp, but it did not prove enough on the day.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte