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The head of the Asian Football Confederation on Friday said the region supported Gianni Infantino\u2019s bid for re-election as FIFA president following fierce criticism of his aborted World Cup selloff plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n The 56-year-old Swiss was present at a Tokyo meeting of the AFC when president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa gave his unequivocal backing.<\/p>\n The AFC in August had joined UEFA (Europe) and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) in condemning Infantino over his plan to open FIFA\u2019s premium competitions such as the World Cup to private investors.<\/p>\n Infantino has faced calls to quit and has lost the support of many associations in his bid to be re-elected to a fourth and final term.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that we reaffirm our full commitment, of course, to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as FIFA president,\u201d said Sheikh Salman, in a significant boost to Infantino\u2019s prospects.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ve visited a lot of countries in Asia. I\u2019ve spoken to a lot of members within this continent.<\/p>\n \u201cI know your feeling and I think your commitment is clear as well. Your support to Gianni is very clear.\u201d<\/p>\n Hinting at previous discord, Sheikh Salman told the AFC Extraordinary Congress and Infantino: \u201cGianni, yes, we had some issues we spoke about in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cBut let\u2019s not relate the two things together. We need to move forward\u2026 football is strongest when we work together.\u201d<\/p>\n Infantino, who apologised last week for the failed project, has headed FIFA since 2016 and is running for re-election in March.<\/p>\n The deadline for submitting candidacies is November 18.<\/p>\n No heavyweight candidate has put themselves forward to run against him so far, despite outspoken condemnation especially from Europe.<\/p>\n Many leading European national associations have withdrawn their support for Infantino over controversies including his relationship with US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n