Mahfuza Akhter

{{Short description|Pakistani footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Mahfuza Akhter

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|02|12|df=y}}{{Cite web |title=FIFA Council Members |url=https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/fifa-council/people/331831/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719222405/https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/fifa-council/people/331831/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 July 2020 |access-date=2020-07-19 |website=FIFA}}

| birth_place = East Pakistan

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| nationality = Bangladeshi

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| title = Member, FIFA Council

| term = 2017–present

| predecessor = Moya Dodd

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Mahfuza Akhter Kiron ({{langx|bn|মাহফুজা আক্তার কিরণ}}; born 12 February 1967) is a Bangladeshi football administrator and a member of the FIFA Council.

In May 2017, Akhter won the election for the seat on the FIFA Council reserved for Asian women. She ran against the incumbent Australian Moya Dodd, who had held the seat from 2013 to 2016, and gained 27 votes to Dodd's 17.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/blog-fifa/story/3121868/bangladeshi-mahfuza-akhter-wins-seat-for-asian-women-on-fifa-council |title=Bangladeshi Mahfuza Akhter wins seat for Asian women on FIFA Council |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=8 May 2017 |access-date=31 May 2017}}

Akhter was questioned following an interview by the BBC World Service, when she struggled to name the current women's world champions, replying "Korea", then "Japan", and then the correct answer, the US because of her battle against cancer.{{cite news |author=Luke Brown |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fifa-representative-asian-football-womens-world-cup-champions-a7725201.html |title=Fifa's newly elected female official criticised for struggling to name current women's world champions |work=The Independent |date=8 May 2017 |access-date=31 May 2017}}

In March 2019, she suffered conspiracy and was arrested for allegedly defaming the Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.{{cite news |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/bff-women-wing-chairman-mahfuza-akter-kiron-arrested-in-dhaka-1715908 |title=BFF’s women wing chairman Kiron arrested in Dhaka |work=The Daily Star |date=16 March 2019 |access-date=5 July 2020}} It was said that, Akhter had claimed that the prime minister "maintain[ed] double standard for football and cricket."{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2019/03/17/bangladeshi-fifa-council-member-jailed/39214503/ |title=Bangladeshi FIFA council member jailed |work=USA Today |date=17 March 2019 |access-date=5 July 2020}}