AFC chief backs Infantino’s bid for fourth Fifa term
The AFC president backed Gianni Infantino’s bid for a fourth Fifa term at a Tokyo meeting, despite the confederation’s earlier criticism of his investor plan.
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Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa has backed Gianni Infantino’s bid for a fourth and final term as Fifa president. He declared his support at an AFC meeting in Tokyo on Friday, 23 October, with Infantino present.
The endorsement follows a dispute over Infantino’s abandoned plan to open Fifa’s premium competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. The AFC had joined Uefa and Concacaf in condemning the proposal in August.
AFC chief declares his support
“I think that we reaffirm our full commitment, of course, to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as Fifa president,” Sheikh Salman told Infantino. He said he had spoken to members across Asia and said support for Gianni was clear.
Sheikh Salman also acknowledged the earlier disagreement. “Gianni, yes, we had some issues we spoke about in the past,” he told the AFC Extraordinary Congress. “But let’s not relate the two things together. We need to move forward… football is strongest when we work together.”
His remarks give Infantino a public show of support from the head of a confederation that had criticised his proposal only two months earlier. Infantino apologised last week for the failed project.
Opposition to the investor plan
The proposed involvement of private investors in competitions such as the World Cup drew criticism from the AFC, Uefa and Concacaf. Infantino has since faced calls to quit and has lost the support of many associations as he seeks re-election.
Many leading European national associations have withdrawn their support for him over controversies that include his relationship with US President Donald Trump. Sheikh Salman’s comments made clear that, for the AFC leadership, the disagreement over the investment plan would not prevent it from backing Infantino’s next mandate.
Presidential race ahead
Infantino has led Fifa since 2016 and is running for re-election in March. The deadline for submitting candidacies is 18 November.
No heavyweight candidate has put themselves forward against him so far, despite outspoken condemnation, particularly from Europe. Sheikh Salman’s endorsement establishes the AFC leadership’s position ahead of that deadline, while the wider criticism of Infantino and the withdrawn support from European associations remain part of the contest.
Source: Malay Mail. This article was compiled by the iBET.news newsroom from the source report and other public information.
