Asia Football Confederation chief calls for unity to drive Fifa reforms after Gianni Infantino win
Asian leaders pledge to work with newly elected Fifa boss after the Swiss’ surprise victory in the presidency
Asian football leaders put a brave face on AFC boss Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa’s Fifa presidential defeat on Saturday and pledged to work with the world body’s new head Gianni Infantino.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) head Sheikh Salman, gunning to become Fifa’s first Asian leader, had been the pre-poll favourite but he lost out in the second round of voting.
The new Fifa needs to become more inclusive and reflect the diversity of world football
The Bahraini royal had repeatedly denied claims of complicity in human rights violations during a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in his home country, calling them “nasty lies”.
He warmly embraced Swiss-Italian Infantino after the election result and later said in a statement that the AFC “looks forward to working with the new-look Fifa”.
He added: “The new Fifa needs to become more inclusive and reflect the diversity of world football. I trust Gianni Infantino will provide the leadership to achieve this, as well as the rest of the reforms that are now urgently needed.”
