Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has officially declared the confederation’s unequivocal support for Gianni Infantino to remain in office as FIFA President during the upcoming election in March 2027.
This announcement, made during the AFC General Assembly held in Tokyo, Japan, signifies a notable shift in the AFC’s stance. Sheikh Salman stated that all AFC members are now backing the 56-year-old Swiss incumbent, who currently stands as the sole candidate nominated for the new FIFA presidential term.
Previously, Sheikh Salman and the AFC had voiced strong opposition to one of Infantino’s key proposals: the plan to sell shares and commercial rights for the FIFA World Cup to private investors, often referred to as the FFE plan. At that time, the AFC had joined forces with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and the North American Football Federation (CONCACAF) to demand the cancellation of this particular plan. The AFC had also explicitly declared its distrust of Infantino’s leadership over the controversy.
Following the significant backlash regarding the FFE plan, Infantino issued an apology to the three major football confederations and sent a letter of apology to all member federations. This conciliatory action appears to have paved the way for Sheikh Salman’s change of heart and the AFC’s current unified support.
Infantino’s re-election campaign continues to gather momentum, with the election scheduled to take place at the FIFA General Assembly in March 2027 in Morocco. It is worth noting that some AFC members, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had previously expressed their support for Infantino’s new mandate, even after he revealed the FFE plan without prior discussion with FIFA members. Adding to this widespread backing, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also jointly declared the full support of all its members for the current FIFA President.
