AFC supports Infantino for FIFA president re-election

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced its support for Gianni Infantino’s bid to be re-elected as FIFA president. This support comes as a big boost for Infantino ahead of the election set for March in Rabat, Morocco.

AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa shared the confederation’s backing during its Congress in Tokyo, Japan, where Infantino was present.

According to BBC Sport on Friday, Khalifa stated, “We reaffirm our full commitment, of course, to supporting you as you seek a new mandate as president.”

This support is a change from Sheikh Salman’s earlier stance. Just two months ago, he joined leaders from UEFA and Concacaf to sign a letter criticizing Infantino. They were upset about Infantino’s plan to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors.

The three confederations accused Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” regarding the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme. They called the proposal “a profound failure of judgement” and said, “these are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership.”

But now, Sheikh Salman wants everyone to come together and move past the disagreement. He said, “I’ve spoken to a lot of members within this continent. I know your feeling and I think your commitment is clear as well. Your support to Gianni is very clear.”

He added, “Yes, we had some issues, we spoke about them in the past, but let’s not relate the two things together. As one Asian family, we are ready to move forward, united in your support, Gianni.”

Infantino responded positively to the endorsement and expressed his happiness with the AFC’s support. He said, “I feel great about the AFC’s support,” when asked about Sheikh Salman’s words.

He praised Sheikh Salman’s leadership in the AFC, saying, “You’ve been doing a fantastic job in AFC in the last 13 years, my dear Salman. You will do fantastically as well for the next how many years you want. And always, always with my full support, with the partnership of FIFA, because we have seen what we have been doing in the last years.”

The AFC’s endorsement adds to Infantino’s support in Africa and South America as he aims for another term at the top of world football’s governing body.

In the March election, UEFA will have 55 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11, and South America’s CONMEBOL 10. Candidates who want to challenge Infantino must confirm their participation by November 18. So far, no one has announced they will run against him, which raises the chance that he might not face any opposition.

Potential challengers like Concacaf president Victor Montagliani and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin have said they do not plan to contest the election.

Infantino’s campaign for re-election has drawn attention due to the issues surrounding his proposed World Cup investment plan. At a recent FIFA Council meeting, he apologized for the proposal but did not explain how it came about.

He also suggested increasing funding for football development around the world by $3.4 billion (£2.6 billion). UEFA has given FIFA until November 2 to release important documents and answer questions about its governance and decision-making.

Despite these ongoing issues, Sheikh Salman’s support shows that the AFC is backing Infantino as the election date approaches.