October 2 – The Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) said it is backing FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.
In a shirt statement issued by UAFA, the regional governing body said it “reaffirmed its support and gratitude, in the coming period, to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who for a decade strengthened unity among the global football community, developed and grew the game and expanded its global reach in a way that serves the interests of all stakeholders and meets the aspirations of the players and the world.”
FIFA has faced its biggest institutional crisis since 2015 after Infantino’s plans to sell a stake in the World Cup failed following a major backlash from its member associations.
UEFA, Concacaf and AFC came together to oppose the FIFA supremo, but the UAFA’s stance is a blow to the Asian confederation. Qatar, who rallied behind Infantino, were previously one of the few federations in the region to disassociate themselves from the AFC position.
Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal chairs the UAFA, a regional body representing 22 member associations, including 12 from the AFC. He is also the Minister of Sports of Saudi Arabia. Previously, Turki Al Sheikh was the president of UAFA. Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034. One of the UAFA members, Jordan, led by Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, said it will not support Infantino.
The UAFA added that it “welcomed the steps recently taken by FIFA to ensure continued collaboration with national, regional and continental football associations and to strengthen cooperation and joint efforts in decisions aimed at advancing football worldwide.”
Infantino, who came to power in 2016 in the wake of the FIFAGate scandal that rocked the world game, has confirmed he wants at least four more years at the helm of the world federation which will hold elections at its 2027 annual congress in Morocco. So far, no other candidates have come forward to challenge him. On Wednesday, Nasser Al Khelaifi confirmed that he will not be running.
Infantino himself is in full campaign. Earlier this week he visited Latvia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. On Friday, the Qatar plane carrying Infantino around the world landed in Hong Kong.
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