The Asian Football Confederation has endorsed Gianni Infantino for a fourth term as FIFA president, a sharp reversal for AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. Speaking at the body's extraordinary congress in Tokyo on Friday, Sheikh Salman embraced Infantino before the membership and pledged the AFC's full commitment to his leadership. The AFC has 47 member confederations, and its votes could prove decisive in the FIFA election scheduled for March. The deadline for candidates to file against Infantino is Nov. 18, and so far none has done so.
Just over two months ago, the AFC had joined the governing bodies of Europe and North and Central America in saying Infantino had committed a "fundamental breach of trust." Infantino apologized last week to FIFA's 37-member ruling council for "mistakes" made in assembling a now-scrapped $4.2 billion plan for the World Cup. Sheikh Salman acknowledged past differences but glossed over details, saying the two matters should not be linked and that the focus should now be on moving forward together.
Sheikh Salman also indicated that not every AFC member would go along with the endorsement, though he believed most would. He praised Infantino's extensive travel across Asia and other regions, while FIFA's media office has promoted those trips as part of efforts to win support with financial aid for soccer countries.
Infantino acknowledged errors in his tenure but emphasized learning from them and uniting for the future. He highlighted the growing flow of money through FIFA's patronage network, noting that member associations once received $1 million every four years and that from January 1 of next year the figure will be $25 million.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing