FIFA president Gianni Infantino's campaign for re-election is set to move this week to Japan, where he is scheduled to meet with the Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday. The talks come after Infantino apologized last week in Zurich, Switzerland, to FIFA's 37-member ruling council for "mistakes" he made in assembling a now-scrapped $4.2 billion sell-off plan for the World Cup. The council is FIFA's main decision-making body, with a global spread of officials.
The planned meeting with Asian soccer leaders will be held in a five-star hotel in Tokyo, with the media largely excluded. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the AFC, initially opposed Infantino and his plan to create a subsidiary to run the World Cup, but may have moved closer to Infantino, according to The Athletic. Infantino has offered critics an open, independent review of how FIFA makes its decisions.
An Associated Press tally indicates Infantino is close to securing the simple majority of the 211 FIFA member federations he needs to win re-election in March to a fourth term. Some of the deciding votes could come from Asia. The AFC had joined the criticism of Infantino after the proposed sell-off, but its members appear far from united. Qatar has expressed support for the FIFA leader, while Jordan has declared its opposition.
The AP count shows 87 of the 211 member federations have indicated support for Infantino, either individually or by endorsing statements from their regional confederations. The largest block of opposition comes from Europe. The FIFA Council is scheduled to meet next on Dec. 16 in Doha, Qatar.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing