FOOTBALL – ASIAN Football Confederation (AFC) head Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa endorsed Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as Fifa president yesterday, just two months after describing his plan to sell a stake in Fifa tournaments as a “breach of trust”.
Infantino faced calls to resign over his failed attempt in July to bring private investors into a new commercial entity holding rights linked to competitions including the World Cup, with Shaikh Salman joining the presidents of Uefa and Concacaf to pen an open letter criticising the Fifa president’s conduct.
Infantino, who apologised over the handling of the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) project at a Fifa Council meeting in Zurich this month, is up for reelection in March next year and the support of the Asian bloc could prove crucial.
Speaking at the AFC’s extraordinary congress in Tokyo yesterday, Shaikh Salman said he had ironed out his differences with Infantino.
“I think that we reaffirm our full commitment, of course, to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as a Fifa president,” he said in comments directed at Infantino, who was present at the meeting.
“I want to make it clear: yes, we had some issues we spoke about in the past but let’s not relate the two things together,” added the Bahraini, who is also seeking a fourth term in office next year. “I think the last few days we met in Zurich. You made it clear that there was a true, a clear understanding between us.
“We need to move forward. And we believe football is strongest when we work together with a shared vision and a common purpose. As one Asian family we are ready to move forward, united in your support Gianni. I just want to make that clear today.”
While Africa has also backed Infantino’s reelection, he continues to face opposition from European soccer’s governing body. Uefa has sent a letter to Fifa seeking answers about his presidency, including questions over the FFE project and the Fifa Peace Prize.