The first FIFA Council member to serve from Fiji, Rajesh Patel was elected for the term of office 2019-2023. Patel, president of the Fijian Football Association and senior vice-president of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), was appointed to the FIFA Council during the OFC Extraordinary Congress in Auckland, New Zealand on 9 March 2019. Days before earning his seat, Patel helped introduce a seven-year plan intended to secure 2026 FIFA World Cup™ qualification for Fiji and introduce a fully professional domestic football league in the country.