Thai football chief Worawi Makudi eyes AFC presidency
Controversial official is among a handful of candidates expected to vie for the presidency
The controversial head of Thai soccer has thrown his hat into the ring for the leadership of turmoil-plagued Asian football, as a report said Bahrain's boss would also stand in coming elections.
Football Association of Thailand chief Worawi Makudi said he would seek to heal the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) if elected leader of the body, which was seeking a replacement for its scandal-hit former boss Mohamed bin Hammam.
"My main target as the AFC president would be to bring everybody together and to unite the Asian Football Confederation," the 61-year-old Worawi said in a statement.
The statement was released after a meeting in Kuala Lumpur of the Asean Football Federation, a grouping of Southeast Asian associations that said it "unanimously" supported Worawi.
Bahrain's FA chief Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa had also confirmed he would stand, World Football Insider said on its website.
The 46-member AFC will elect a new leader on May 2, hoping to move on from nearly two years of turmoil over allegations of wrongdoing including bribery by bin Hammam. The Qatari denies the allegations.
But Worawi, an ally of bin Hammam and one of the most influential men in Asian football, brings his own baggage.