The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will support current FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the upcoming presidential election. This was announced by the organization's President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa at the extraordinary AFC Congress in Tokyo, Reuters reported.
“We confirm our full readiness to support you and your leadership in your bid for re-election as FIFA president“, he told Infantino, who was attending the congress.
In July, it was reported that Infantino wanted to create a company to control the organization's main men's and women's competitions. According to him, the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise would increase revenues for FIFA's member associations and contribute to the development of football worldwide. FIFA said the scheme could have raised $4.2 billion.
The initiative was widely criticized and condemned by officials, federations and other organizations. In particular, Infantino's proposal was rejected by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the AFC and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
Infantino's support was later expressed by the Confederation of African Football, the Argentine Football Association and several other national federations.
Infantino, 56, was elected FIFA president at an extraordinary congress in February 2016. He was subsequently re-elected twice without opposition. FIFA's next presidential election will be held in March 2027.