Asian football confederation backs Infantino’s re-election bid

TOKYO — The head of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, has expressed his backing for Gianni Infantino's campaign to be reelected as FIFA president, according to a report from Tokyo. This endorsement came just two months after Sheikh Salman had publicly criticized Infantino's proposal to sell a stake in FIFA tournaments as a "breach of trust."

Infantino's presidency was under intense scrutiny following his attempt in July to involve private investors in a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have controlled rights related to competitions like the World Cup. To address the controversy, Sheikh Salman, along with the presidents of UEFA and CONCACAF, penned an open letter criticizing Infantino's leadership.

Despite this setback, Infantino is set to be up for reelection in March of the following year, and the support of the Asian Football Confederation could be pivotal in his re-election bid. At the Asian Confederation's extraordinary congress in Tokyo on Friday, Sheikh Salman confirmed that he has reconciled his differences with Infantino, reaffirming his full commitment to supporting the FIFA president in his pursuit of a new mandate.