Fifa and Infantino at centre of escalating row among Asian football chiefs
The war of words in Asian football over the future of Fifa president Gianni Infantino has escalated further after regional chiefs turned on critic Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan.
Asia has become a key battleground for Infantino as he looks to extend his decade-long tenure at next year’s elections despite a widespread backlash to his World Cup sell-off plan.
The Asian Football Confederation initially aligned itself with European and North American calls for change at the top of Fifa but last week performed a U-turn and backed Infantino.
Prince Ali, who ran against Infantino in 2016, called out AFC boss Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa in a social media post on Sunday, disputing that Asia was united behind Infantino.
He added that “nobody was allowed to speak, question, debate or talk with the media” at the recent AFC congress and that “no amount of coercion, threats or bribes should be allowed”.
The AFC has hit back at those claims and warned that Prince Ali, head of Jordan’s FA, would be referred to its judicial bodies, which have the power to fine or suspend him over his remarks.
“During the proceedings in Tokyo, the President of the Jordan Football Association did not request the floor, nor was any such request made by any other Member Association,” it said.
“The Jordanian delegation had the opportunity to participate in accordance with the established procedures, but no request was submitted.
“The AFC therefore rejects any suggestion that the Congress proceedings were conducted improperly or that the democratic processes of the organisation were compromised.
Prince Ali claims ‘unsubstantiated’, says AFC
“Furthermore, the AFC has never restricted its members from engaging with the media. Every member has always been, and remains, completely free to express their views, whether through the media or their own social media platforms.
“The AFC takes seriously the unsupported and entirely unsubstantiated allegations of coercion, threats or bribery. Such serious accusations must be supported by credible evidence and should not be made without a proper factual basis.”
Infantino currently looks set to stand for re-election without serious opposition in five months’ time. With just three weeks until the deadline to declare, the only challenger is former Tottenham Hotspur and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega, who is not thought to have significant support.
With staunch backing from Africa’s 54 members and South America’s 10 all but secured, support from Asia’s 47 FAs would give Infantino the majority of Fifa’s 211 associations required to win a fourth mandate.
AFC president Sheikh Salman is considered one of the most likely successors to Infantino if he steps down at the end of his next term. The 60-year-old from Bahrain was his closest challenger in the 2016 election that followed the ousting of Sepp Blatter.