Belgian soccer leader Van Damme to get European seat for women on FIFA ruling council

GENEVA (AP) — Belgian soccer federation president Pascale van Damme is set join FIFA's ruling council after being the only candidate to run for a seat reserved for a female official from Europe.

Van Damme will run unopposed and is set to be elected at a UEFA meeting on April 3 in Belgrade, Serbia, UEFA said Monday.

Van Damme, a former technology industry executive, was elected to lead Belgian soccer less than two years ago. She is in line to get a four-year term in the FIFA post that pays $250,000 annually.

She will replace Evelina Christillin, a former 2006 Turin Olympics official with close ties to the Juventus-owning Agnelli family, who leaves after more than eight years in the role.

In 2016, Christillin was the first woman elected by UEFA to join the 37-member FIFA council.

Each of soccer’s six continental confederations has a place reserved for a woman on the FIFA decision-making body, and none has ever elected a woman in a contested vote against men.

UEFA also is set to re-elect four men to the FIFA council on April 3 without any rival candidates: Răzvan Burleanu of Romania, Georgios Koumas of Cyprus, Bernd Neuendorf of Germany and Dejan Savićević of Montenegro, the former AC Milan star.

All of the European candidates for FIFA positions, each one the president of their national soccer body, met a Jan. 3 deadline to enter the elections and must pass an eligibility check managed by the world soccer body.

UEFA has set a Feb. 3 deadline — two months before the congress in Belgrade — for candidates to enter elections for 10 vacant seats on its own executive committee, including that of David Gill, its treasurer and the former CEO at Manchester United. Gill has reached the 12-year term limit for UEFA elected positions.

One of the 10 vacancies is for a second seat protected for women, joining current UEFA vice president Laura McAllister of Wales who was elected two years ago. Candidates for the second quota place likely will include Norwegian federation president Lise Klaveness.

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FILE - President of Belgian Football Association Pascale van Damme, center, attends the FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Stenlund scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Utah Hockey Club handed Detroit its fourth straight loss, 4-2 on Thursday night.

Stenlund scored his first goal in 24 games, while Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz and Lawson Crouse also scored for Utah, which has won four of its last five games. Karel Vejmelka made 38 saves on the same day he signed to a five-year contract extension.

Dylan Larkin and Jonatan Berggren scored first-period goals for the Red Wings. Alex Lyon stopped 15 shots.

Detroit is 1-4-1 in its last six home games.

Utah: Vejmelka's save total included six against the Red Wings' second-ranked power play as Utah killed three penalties.

Red Wings: Carter Mazur's NHL debut lasted only two shifts. Mazur, a 22-year-old forward called up from the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins, suffered an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return. The Michigan native had a large contingent of family and friends in attendance.

Stenlund's first goal since Jan. 2 came with a fortunate bounce. Michael Kesselring dug the puck away from the boards. It struck a defenseman's skate and bounced onto the stick of Stenlund, who scored from the right circle to give Utah a 3-2 lead at 2:55 of the third.

Utah first line forward Clayton Keller reached the 300 career assist mark on Schmaltz's second-period, power-play goal. Keller has 48 assists this season and 13 points in his last eight games.

Utah visits Chicago on Friday night while the Red Wings visit Washington on Friday night.

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Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) celebrates his goal with Dylan Larkin (71) in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)