Things to know about the Indian-American in race to succeed Blatter at FIFA

Sunil Gulati has been a strong critic of Blatter and in the recently held elections he voted for Jordan's Prince Ali bin Al Hussein

The name of Allahabad-born Indian American Sunil Gulati often figures among those in race to succeed Sepp Blatter as the president of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Here are a few things to know about Gulati:

Current role: Often referred to as the ‘most powerful man in American soccer’ Gulati is currently serving a record third term as the president of the US Soccer Federation (USSF), after a re-election in 2014. He lives with his son Emilio, daughter Sofia and wife Marcella in the New York City.

FIFA panel: Elected to a four-year term on the FIFA executive committee on April 19, 2013, Gulati has been one of the strongest critics of Sepp Blatter. In the recent election, he and the USSF had voted for Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein.

Contribution to the game: The Indian-American has played instrumental roles in major USSF and FIFA events. He was on the US World Cup bid committee from 1986 to 1988 and helped take the event to the US for the first time. He was also the executive vice-president and chief international officer for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Additionally, he was on the board of directors for 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments.

Many hats: Gulati currently represents USSF on the CONCACAF National Team Competitions Committee, and also serves the FIFA World Club Championship Committee and the FIFA Task Force for Clubs.

Earlier: He formerly was the president of Kraft Soccer for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.

Academic, too: He is also a senior lecturer in the economics department of New York’s Columbia University. Also an alumnus of the same university, he holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and an MA in Economics degrees.