The head of Asian football is poised to announce a bid for the Fifa presidency, a source said on Friday, in an opportunistic move which would dramatically reshape the election race.
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa could make a formal announcement as early as Friday and would be a serious challenger as the leader of Fifa’s second-largest confederation.
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A bid by the Bahraini royal would be another major blow to the already suspended Michel Platini, who he formerly backed, and Sheikh Salman’s Asian rival Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan.
Sheikh Salman, once a staunch backer of outgoing Fifa chief Sepp Blatter, won a landslide election in 2013 to succeed the disgraced Mohamed bin Hammam as president of the Asian Football Confederation.
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa is the head of the Asian Football Confederation. Photo: AFP
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In April, he strengthened his grip when he won a fresh four-year term unopposed and became a Fifa vice-president – taking a post previously held by Prince Ali – into the bargain.
