Asia falls in behind Infantino as AFC backs FIFA chief's fourth-term bid

A hug, an apology accepted, and a mandate revived

Gianni Infantino's path to a fourth term as FIFA president grew markedly wider on Friday as the Asian Football Confederation formally threw its weight behind his re-election, completing a public reconciliation with the man who only two months earlier had accused him of a "fundamental breach of trust".

AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa delivered the endorsement in his opening remarks at the confederation's extraordinary congress in Tokyo, addressing Infantino directly in front of the assembled delegates with the FIFA president seated in the room.

"I think that we reaffirm our full commitment, of course, to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as a FIFA president," Sheikh Salman said, pledging that the Asian family was "ready to move forward, united in your support Gianni."

The language was deliberate. In July, Sheikh Salman had stood alongside UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani in signing an open letter condemning Infantino's plan to bring private investors into a new commercial entity holding rights linked to FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The venture, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, proposed selling a stake in a subsidiary company set up to run FIFA's competitions, and the three confederation leaders' joint letter accused the FIFA president of a fundamental breach of trust over the way it was pursued.

Clearing the air in Zurich

Sheikh Salman made no attempt to pretend the row had not happened. Instead he drew a line between the dispute and the election decision, telling delegates that recent meetings had closed the chapter.

"I want to make it clear: yes, we had some issues we spoke about in the past but let's not relate the two things together," he said. "I think the last few days we met in Zurich. You made it clear that there was a true, a clear understanding between us. We need to move forward. And we believe football is strongest when we work together with a shared vision and a common purpose."

Infantino, for his part, had already sought to lower the temperature. At this month's FIFA Council meeting in Zurich he apologised for mistakes "in relation to the communication and consultation process" for the FFE project, an apology that appears to have done much of the heavy lifting for Friday's endorsement. In a later AFC statement, Sheikh Salman praised the confederation's unity, saying the Asian game's "historic achievements are deeply rooted in the strong partnership, trust, and shared vision that we share as one united family" and declaring: "We are ready to move forward, united in support of Fifa president Gianni Infantino."

Infantino returned the favour from the Tokyo podium, throwing his own backing behind Sheikh Salman's bid for a fourth term leading the AFC next year. "You've been doing a fantastic job in AFC in the last 13 years, my dear Salman," Infantino told delegates. "You will do fantastically as well for the next how many years you want. And always, always with my full support, with the partnership of Fifa, because we have seen what we have been doing in the last years."

The electoral arithmetic

The Asian endorsement matters because of the maths. Infantino is seeking a fourth term that would extend his presidency until 2031, with the election scheduled for March next year and nominations closing on November 18. Several key AFC members, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had already publicly declared their support, but a united continental bloc gives the Swiss-Italian a powerful launchpad. The African confederation has also backed Infantino's re-election.

Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto struck a note of caution on Friday, saying the association was aiming to align with the AFC but had not yet made a formal decision — a reminder that the endorsement binds the confederation's position rather than guaranteeing every member vote in the room.

Europe, meanwhile, remains the outlier. UEFA continues to oppose Infantino, has sent a letter to FIFA seeking answers about his presidency — including questions over the World Cup rights sale project and the so-called FIFA Peace Prize — and has spoken of identifying a credible alternative candidate. The Tokyo declaration will not dissolve that rift, but it sharpens the question facing any challenger: with Asia and Africa behind the incumbent, the arithmetic of a contested election looks forbidding.

What happens next

Attention now turns to the November 18 nomination deadline, the first concrete test of whether UEFA can produce an alternative candidate willing to stand. If none emerges, Infantino could cruise to a fourth term unopposed — a remarkable position for a president who spent the summer facing resignation calls.

For Sheikh Salman, Friday's show of unity also serves his own re-election bid at the AFC, with the two incumbents now openly campaigning for each other. The breach of trust of July has become the trusted partnership of October. Whether that trust survives the scrutiny UEFA promises to apply is the next chapter of this story.