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FIFA: the AFC backs Gianni Infantino for a fourth term
The Asian Football Confederation has endorsed Gianni Infantino for a new term as FIFA president, at a congress in Tokyo. A reversal: the AFC had joined UEFA and CONCACAF in denouncing a breach of trust.
by Lucas Morel · 1 min read
Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), announced in Tokyo, with Gianni Infantino in the room, his confederation’s backing for the incumbent FIFA president, who is standing for a fourth term. The endorsement came at an extraordinary congress of the confederation.
“Gianni, yes, we have had disagreements in the past. But we must move forward. Football is stronger when we work together,” said Sheikh Salman, in comments reported by So Foot. The Associated Press, carried by ESPN, records a more solemn formulation: “We affirm our full commitment to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as the FIFA president.”
From breach of trust to endorsement
The turn is a sharp one. The AFC had joined UEFA and CONCACAF in denouncing a fundamental breach of trust, after a plan to open the World Cup to private capital, a project ESPN puts at 4.2 billion dollars. That plan has since been dropped, in early August according to So Foot.
A vote in March, no challenger yet
The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March. Candidacies must be filed by 18 November, and no challenger had come forward when the two articles were published. The Asian block carries weight in this contest: the AFC claims 47 member federations, and their votes could prove decisive.
A month short of the filing deadline, the incumbent already has a full confederation behind him. One unknown remains: the name of a challenger, if one comes.