{"id":2915,"date":"2026-10-24T08:38:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/24\/afc-backs-infantino-fourth-fifa-term\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T08:38:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:38:42","slug":"afc-backs-infantino-fourth-fifa-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/24\/afc-backs-infantino-fourth-fifa-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Asian Football Confederation backs Infantino for fourth FIFA term"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>At an extraordinary congress in Tokyo on Friday, the president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the body\u2019s endorsement of Gianni Infantino for another term as FIFA president. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al\u202fKhalifa embraced Infantino onstage, a symbolic gesture that underscored the AFC\u2019s new stance and could prove decisive as the global governing body prepares for its March election.<\/p>\n<h2>AFC\u2019s abrupt reversal<\/h2>\n<p>The AFC, representing 47 member associations across the continent, has the potential to sway the outcome of the FIFA vote. While Sheikh Salman acknowledged that not every Asian member may follow the endorsement, he suggested that the majority would align with his declaration, thereby bolstering Infantino\u2019s path to a fourth term.<\/p>\n<p>This public support marks a stark contrast to the AFC\u2019s position just two months earlier. At that time, the Asian federation, together with its European counterpart and the North and Central American confederation, accused Infantino of a \u201cfundamental breach of trust.\u201d The allegations were linked to a now\u2011scrapped $4.2\u202fbillion plan that would have sold a stake in FIFA events, including the World Cup, to private investors. Infantino later issued an apology in Zurich to FIFA\u2019s 37\u2011member ruling council, acknowledging \u201cmistakes\u201d in the design of that proposal.<\/p>\n<p>During his speech, Sheikh Salman referenced the past dispute but chose not to elaborate on the specifics. He said, \u201cYes, we had some issues we spoke about in the past, but let\u2019s not relate the two things together.\u201d He added that recent meetings in Zurich had clarified the relationship between the two leaders, emphasizing a shared desire to move forward.<\/p>\n<h2>Infantino\u2019s response and financial promises<\/h2>\n<p>Following Sheikh Salman\u2019s endorsement, Infantino took the podium and kept his remarks light, yet he did not shy away from acknowledging past errors. He said, \u201cWhen you do many things, you do \u2013 hopefully, as we did, many good things \u2013 you do some mistakes as well.\u201d He stressed the importance of learning from those mistakes, apologising, and uniting for the future of football.<\/p>\n<p>Infantino also used the opportunity to highlight a financial uplift for FIFA\u2019s member associations. He recalled that before his tenure, many federations received $1\u202fmillion every four years. He announced that, beginning 1\u202fJanuary of the next year, that figure would rise to $25\u202fmillion, a substantial increase that he framed as a benefit of his continued leadership.<\/p>\n<p>The AFC president\u2019s remarks included a light\u2011hearted comment about Infantino\u2019s travel schedule, noting that the FIFA chief had visited \u201calmost every country\u201d and joking that perhaps he had a \u201cclone.\u201d The audience responded with laughter and applause, underscoring the cordial tone of the gathering.<\/p>\n<h2>Implications for the March election<\/h2>\n<p>The FIFA election is slated for March, with a filing deadline of 18\u202fNovember for any challenger to Infantino. To date, no candidate has submitted paperwork, leaving Infantino as the sole declared contender. The AFC\u2019s endorsement, therefore, carries significant weight, especially given the confederation\u2019s large voting bloc.<\/p>\n<p>Sheikh Salman\u2019s statement, \u201cWe affirm our full commitment to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as the FIFA president,\u201d signals a unified front from the Asian football family. He added, \u201cAs one Asian family, we are ready to move forward, united in your support, Gianni.\u201d The repeated emphasis on unity and forward momentum suggests an effort to consolidate regional backing ahead of the global vote.<\/p>\n<p>While the AFC president admitted that not every member may follow the endorsement, the implication is that the majority will, potentially delivering a decisive block of votes. This development follows a period of tension between the AFC and FIFA leadership, making the endorsement a noteworthy shift in the political landscape of world football.<\/p>\n<p>Infantino\u2019s campaign, as reflected in FIFA\u2019s media communications, has highlighted his global travel itinerary and promises of increased financial support to both small and large football nations. The promise of raising annual disbursements from $1\u202fmillion to $25\u202fmillion per four\u2011year cycle is positioned as a tangible benefit of his continued presidency.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts observing the situation note that the AFC\u2019s backing could influence other regional bodies, given the precedent of coordinated endorsements in previous elections. However, the source material does not provide details on the positions of other confederations, leaving the ultimate impact of the Asian endorsement to be seen in the March vote.<\/p>\n<p>In summary, the AFC\u2019s sudden endorsement of Gianni Infantino marks a dramatic policy reversal after earlier accusations of a breach of trust. By publicly supporting the incumbent president and promising to move forward together, the Asian federation adds a powerful regional voice to Infantino\u2019s campaign for a fourth term. With no challengers filed and the election deadline approaching, the AFC\u2019s stance may prove pivotal in shaping the outcome of FIFA\u2019s next leadership election.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Asian Football Confederation endorsed Gianni Infantino for a fourth FIFA presidency, marking a sharp reversal after earlier accusations of a breach of trust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[3249,3218,3251,3219,3250],"class_list":["post-2915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-asian-football-confederation","tag-fifa","tag-football-election","tag-gianni-infantino","tag-sheikh-salman","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}