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Australia's football chief, billionaire Frank Lowy recovering after brain surgery

Xinhua, July 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Football Federation Australia ( FFA) chairman and billionaire businessman Frank Lowy has been released from a European hospital on Tuesday following surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Lowy, 84, suffered a subdural hematoma as a result of a highly- publicized fall from a podium back in May when he was presenting Australian football champions Melbourne Victory with the A-League winner's trophy.

After he handed the trophy to Victory coach Kevin Muscat, Lowy lost his balance and fell backwards, landing heavily on his shoulder and head.

A statement released by Westfield, an Australian shopping center conglomerate owned by Lowy, said he was recovering after being released by doctors on Tuesday.

"The procedure was performed in Europe where he is holidaying," the statement read.

"Mr Lowy is now resting comfortably and following a short convalescence will return to Australia."

Despite walking away unharmed at the time of his fall, it was deduced that it did cause complications which contributed to the blood clot.

"A few days prior to the surgery, Mr Lowy began to feel unwell and an examination revealed that he had a subdural hematoma which is not uncommon following trauma to the head," the statement reads.

Australia's third-richest person is worth an estimated 5 billion U.S. dollars and was crucial in the FFA's now- controversial campaign to bring the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Australia.

Lowy is the co-founder and chairman of the Westfield Group, which operates more than 100 shopping centers across Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom.

He is expected to make a full recovery from the surgery before returning to Australia. Endi