The united front against FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Asia appears to be crumbling. AFC and FIFA Vice President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Chalifa has sent a letter to Infantino, also shared with the other confederation heads, proposing that the reform process should not involve a fundamental overhaul of FIFA's governance system. Instead, he writes, it should be examined whether FIFA's existing governance structures can be strengthened, and he proposes setting up an internal working group to do so. The news agency dpa obtained the full text of the letter, with The Athletic first reporting on it.
The shift marks a notable change in tone. Two months earlier, the Bahraini official had sharply criticized Infantino in a joint letter alongside the heads of UEFA and CONCACAF, a move that drew criticism from Qatar among others. This week, 22 Arab associations, including 12 from Asia, declared their support for Infantino.
Infantino came under heavy pressure over the summer after a push to have external investors market World Cup rights ultimately collapsed, with his leadership style also facing sharp criticism within the soccer world. He has since offered his opponents talks on possible reforms within FIFA for the first time, and al-Chalifa's letter appears to reference that offer, suggesting he is now willing to work with Infantino on the matter.
Infantino, 56, has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking re-election for a fourth term at the next FIFA Congress, scheduled for March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco. Associations from Europe and from North and Central America and the Caribbean had withdrawn their support for him.
UEFA's leadership, together with presidents and general secretaries of its 55 member associations, planned to meet in Berlin on Thursday to discuss how to proceed in the power struggle. It is considered unlikely that a rival candidate to Infantino would be nominated at that meeting. The opposition has until the end of November 18 to officially nominate a candidate.
CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani of Canada is considered a possible challenger. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi have also been publicly mentioned as potential candidates, though both have repeatedly denied any such ambitions.
