Infantino campaigns in Japan for FIFA re-election, seeks Asian support after World Cup sell-off row

Tokyo: Gianni Infantino's campaign for re-election as FIFA president is set to move this week to Japan and a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with the Asian Football Confederation.This comes after Infantino apologized last week in Zurich, Switzerland, to FIFA's 37-member ruling council — which he chairs — for “mistakes” he made in assembling a now-scrapped $4.2 billion sell-off plan for the World Cup.President Gianni Infantino apologizes to the Fifa Council for his scrapped $4.2 billion World Cup sell-off plan. He was supported and backed by CAF. pic.twitter.com/iUNWHBbc4g— Pulse Nigeria (@PulseNigeria247) October 15, 2026 The council is the main decision-making body at FIFA with a global spread of officials.The planned meeting with Asian soccer leaders is to be held in a five-star hotel in Tokyo with the media largely excluded.Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the president of the AFC, expressed early opposition to Infantino and his plan to create a subsidiary to run the World Cup, but may have moved closer to Infantino, The Athletic has reported.Infantino has offered to critics an open, independent review of how FIFA makes its decisions.FIFA President Gianni Infantino To Seek Fourth Term In 2027 Amid UEFA Rift Over Private Investment Plans Infantino is electioneeringAn Associated Press tally indicates Infantino is close to landing the simple majority of the 211 FIFA member federations he needs to win re-election in March to a fourth term. Some of the deciding votes could some from Asia.The AFC had joined the criticism of Infantino in the wake of the proposed World Cup sell-off, but its members appear far from united. Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host, has expressed support for the FIFA leader while Jordan has declared its opposition.The FIFA Council is scheduled to meet next on Dec. 16 in Doha, Qatar.The Associated Press count shows 87 of the 211 FIFA Member federations have indicated support for Infantino – either in individual comments or by endorsing statements of support by their regional confederations. The largest block of opposition comes from Europe.Cristiano Ronaldo Suspended For 30 Days, Fined Around ₹27,100 For Leaving Portugal Camp In Denmark The FIFA voting systemNo sitting FIFA president has lost an election since 1974. The deadline for a candidate to file against Infantino is Nov. 18.FIFA rules state candidates must have “played an active role in association football (e.g. as a player or an official within FIFA, a confederation or an association, etc.) for two of the last five years before being proposed.” They must have “declarations of support” from at least five of the 211 members.“FIFA is a massive patronage network,” Jules Boykoff, a political scientist at Pacific University and a former professional soccer player, told The Associated Press. “It brings in billions from the men's World Cup and distributes it to football associations around the world in exchange for loyalty.”“The funds that FIFA distributes to soccer bodies around the world are meant to develop soccer, but there's scant oversight,” Boykoff added. “To say FIFA is in need of structural overhaul it to make an enormous understatement.”(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Gianni Infantino's campaign for re-election as FIFA president is set to move this week to Japan and a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with the Asian Football Confederation.

Gianni Infantino's campaign for re-election as FIFA president is set to move this week to Japan and a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with the Asian Football Confederation.

TOKYO (AP) — Gianni Infantino's campaign for re-election as FIFA president is set to move this week to Japan and a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with the Asian Football Confederation.This comes after Infantino apologized last week in Zurich, Switzerland, to FIFA's 37-member ruling council — which he chairs — for “mistakes” he made in assembling a now-scrapped $4.

October 19 – Following last week’s heated FIFA Council meeting, Gianni Infantino is back on the campaign trail with stops in both Africa and Asia.  On Saturday, Infantino attended the opening day of the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Rabat, Morocco. In the curtain raiser, the hosts defeated New Zealand 4-0.  The FIFA boss then jetted to Bangladesh where he met with Tabith Awal, the president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Read more … The post Infantino fires up the election campaign jet for a weekend in Africa and Asia appeared first on Inside World Football.