FIFA’s Infantino made to wait on Asian support as chief coy at AFC session

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will have to wait for Asia's verdict on his re-election bid after the head of the Asian Football Confederation refused to take sides at a two-day gathering in Tokyo.

AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa closed the session on Thursday without giving any hint whether the confederation's 47 members would support or oppose Infantino's run for a fourth term in the March election. Opposition candidates have until November 18 to declare, and none have stepped forward so far.

Asia's bloc could prove decisive. Infantino faces stiff resistance in Europe but enjoys staunch backing in Africa, which leaves the 47 Asian federations as potential kingmakers in the vote. An Associated Press tally counts 87 of FIFA's 211 member federations as backing him so far.

Salman's neutrality marks a change of tone. Just two months ago, Asian football joined the confederations of North and Central America and Europe in accusing Infantino of a "fundamental breach of trust." Asia now looks split: Qatar has declared its support for the FIFA chief, while Jordan has announced its opposition.

"We're not against anyone and we're not in favour of anyone," Salman told delegates. "For people who try to divide us, this is not going to happen."

Infantino, who rarely speaks to the media, has been campaigning across Asia but did not appear publicly in Tokyo. Last week he apologised to FIFA's 37-member ruling council in Zurich for "mistakes" in assembling a now-abandoned $4.2bn commercial selloff tied to the World Cup.

The Tokyo meeting also heard that the Asian Cup will go ahead in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5 despite deadly attacks in the kingdom by Yemen's Houthi rebels. Organising spokesman Muhammed Q Alghamdi said daily life in Saudi Arabia was continuing and the tournament would be ready.