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By Irene Wang
TOKYO, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Asian Football Confederation head Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa endorsed Gianni Infantino’s bid for reelection as FIFA president on Friday, 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 Sheikh Salman joining the presidents of UEFA and CONCACAF to pen an open letter criticizing 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 on Friday, Sheikh 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.
Reuters has contacted UEFA for a response to the AFC president’s comments.
Infantino, 56, is seeking a fourth term until 2031 and potential candidates must submit their nominations by November 18.
‘FANTASTIC JOB’
Infantino, in his address to the AFC delegates, gave Sheikh Salman his backing for another term.
“You’ve been doing a fantastic job in AFC in the last 13 years, my dear Salman,” he said.
“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.”
Asked later about Sheikh Salman’s comments, Infantino said: “I feel great about the AFC’s support.”
Several key AFC members, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have already publicly declared their support for Infantino.
Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto told reporters on Friday the association was looking to align with the AFC but that they had not made a decision.
He was also unsure whether all 47 members of the confederation were united in supporting the Swiss-Italian administrator.
“I don’t think the AFC members’ opinions are all aligned together, but I believe the AFC and FIFA have been holding meetings on an ongoing basis,” Miyamoto said.
“I also understand that they discussed the matter at the recent FIFA Council meeting in Zurich. So I think this (support for Infantino) is the result of discussions that have taken place on various occasions.
“He has made it clear that he is withdrawing the FFE and that he has no intention of pursuing it further going forward. He also apologised about it, so everyone has taken his words.”
Reuters has contacted the AFC’s member associations seeking to clarify their positions.
(Writing by Michael Church in Melbourne and Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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