Qatar, which supports FIFA president, opposes AFC

Qatar, which supports FIFA president, opposes AFC

Qatar Football Association President Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has responded to an open letter issued by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) jointly with UEFA and CONCACAF against FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

In a letter to AFC President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Al Thani said that neither the Qatar Football Association nor he himself had participated in consultations on the issue before the joint statement was issued.

The Qatari representative said that the statement was not sent a draft, was not informed in advance, and was not given the opportunity to comment on its content.

Al Thani also asked for clarification on the basis of which he had issued a collective position on behalf of the 47 member associations of the AFC. He believed that a common position should first be determined through consultations with all members.

The dispute comes amid growing disagreements among football confederations over Infantino's performance. UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF had previously called on the FIFA president to resign and sharply criticized his plan to sell 20 percent of the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors. FIFA had planned to earn about $4.2 billion through this project, but Infantino abandoned it after strong protests.

A day earlier, the heads of the football associations of Qatar and five other Arab countries had supported Infantino's work. They praised the FIFA president's contribution to the development of football on a global scale.