The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has thrown its support behind Gianni Infantino’s bid for another term as FIFA president, despite earlier disagreements over his controversial plan to sell part of FIFA’s commercial rights to private investors.
AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa announced the endorsement during a meeting in Tokyo, Japan, where Infantino was also present.
The backing comes after the AFC joined the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) in August in criticising Infantino’s proposed commercial rights plan.
The proposal sought to open some of FIFA’s premium competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. It drew criticism from the three confederations over concerns about transparency, consultation and decision-making within world football.
The plan was eventually abandoned following the backlash, with Infantino apologising for the way the project had been handled.
Despite the disagreement, Sheikh Salman expressed confidence in Infantino’s leadership and urged football officials to move forward.
The endorsement marks a shift from the AFC’s earlier position and provides Infantino with support from one of FIFA’s major continental confederations as he prepares for the presidential election scheduled for March 2027.
Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and is seeking another term at the helm of world football’s governing body.
The AFC’s decision follows support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which has also backed Infantino’s re-election bid.
The endorsements from the Asian and African confederations could prove significant in the election, given the number of member associations represented by the two bodies.
However, the AFC’s endorsement does not necessarily mean that every Asian member association will vote for Infantino, with the final outcome depending on the decisions made by FIFA’s member associations.
The abandoned commercial rights proposal remains a point of contention in discussions about FIFA’s governance, particularly regarding transparency and consultation with member confederations.
With the election approaching, Infantino will be seeking to consolidate support across the global football community as he pursues another term in office.
