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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has endorsed Gianni Infantino for another term as FIFA president, marking a major shift after its criticised the football administrator just two months ago.
AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa announced his support during the confederation’s extraordinary congress in Tokyo on Friday. He publicly embraced Infantino before telling delegates that the organisation was prepared to support his bid for another mandate.
“We affirm our full commitment to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as the FIFA president,” Sheikh Salman said.
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The AFC represents 47 national football associations, making its support potentially important in the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March. Nominations close on November 18, and no challenger to Infantino has been announced.
Sheikh Salman acknowledged that not every AFC member may support Infantino but said he believed the majority shared his position.
The endorsement represents a sharp change from August, when the AFC joined UEFA and Concacaf in accusing Infantino of a “fundamental breach of trust”. The three confederations criticised his leadership after FIFA developed a $4.2 billion proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
The proposal was later abandoned following opposition, while Infantino apologised to the FIFA Council for mistakes associated with the plan.
Sheikh Salman referred briefly to previous disagreements but said recent discussions had improved relations between the AFC and FIFA leadership.
Infantino, who addressed delegates after Sheikh Salman, acknowledged mistakes during his presidency while pointing to increased financial support for FIFA member associations. He said funding available to individual associations would rise significantly, claiming payments that stood at $1 million every four years before his presidency would reach $25 million from January.
With 211 member associations eligible to participate in the FIFA election, the AFC’s backing could further strengthen Infantino’s prospects of securing another term as president of world football’s governing body.
