AFC leadership supports Infantino in the FIFA presidential election
The Asian Football Confederation changed its position two months after criticizing the FIFA head.
AFC Leadership to Support Infantino in FIFA Presidential Election
President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, announced his support for Gianni Infantino in the FIFA presidential election to be held on October 23.
This statement was made at the Confederation's Extraordinary Congress in Tokyo, which Infantino himself attended. Salman emphasized that the confederation, "as a united Asian family," is ready to unite and move forward in supporting the head of FIFA.
Salman did not claim that all members of the AFC would support Infantino. The confederation consists of 47 associations, and according to AP, he hinted that not all of them might share this position, but the majority would agree.
Addressing the delegates, Infantino expressed his gratitude to Salman for his 13 years of work as the head of the AFC and assured him of FIFA's support. Later, he told journalists he was pleased to have received the confederation's backing. The AFC meetings in Tokyo were held behind closed doors to the press.
The support for Infantino marks a dramatic turn for the AFC. Previously, Salman had supported those who opposed Infantino's plan to sell the commercial rights of FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors. That project collapsed. In August, along with UEFA and CONCACAF, the AFC announced that Infantino had "fundamentally breached trust." At that time, Salman had argued with Qatar, which came out in favor of Infantino. In Tokyo, however, he stated that the disagreements were in the past and should not be linked to the current decision.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already publicly announced their support for Infantino. On the eve of the Congress, according to AP estimates, 87 out of 211 FIFA national federations supported his candidacy individually or through statements from their confederations. Jordan, on the contrary, declared its opposition to Infantino.
At the same time, UEFA and CONCACAF have not changed their position against Infantino.
This is significant support for Infantino, as a considerable portion of the votes at the FIFA Congress belongs to Asia. The election will take place in March; the deadline for potential opponents to submit their applications expires on November 18, and so far no one has put forward their candidacy. For the 56-year-old Swiss official, this will be his fourth and final term.