Infantino row exposes Asian football split as Qatar rejects AFC statement

Qatar has publicly challenged the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over its decision to call for Gianni Infantino’s resignation, demanding an urgent explanation of who authorised the body to speak on behalf of its 47 member associations.

The dispute has exposed a major division within Asian football at a crucial moment in the contest over the future of the FIFA presidency. Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year, is facing an unprecedented revolt led by three of the world’s largest continental football confederations.

The AFC joined UEFA and CONCACAF on Monday in a joint attack on the FIFA president. The three organisations called on Infantino to step down after his failed attempt to attract private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, president of the Qatar Football Association, responded with a strongly worded letter to AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. The letter was reported by Reuters.

Al Thani, who sits on the AFC executive committee and is also a member of the FIFA Council, questioned whether the AFC had secured a collective mandate before issuing its statement.

“First, there must be confirmation that a collective view exists; it cannot be assumed, nor can it be imposed simply by making an announcement,” he wrote.

He asked Sheikh Salman to explain what consultation had taken place within the AFC and why the confederation considered itself authorised to speak for all 47 of its member associations.

“I was not consulted, neither the Qatar Football Association nor I personally, whether formally or informally, before the statement was issued,” Al Thani added. “No prior notice was provided, no draft was circulated, and no opportunity was given to comment on its content or contribute to it before it was published publicly in the name of the AFC and on behalf of its members.”

The intervention from Qatar highlights deepening divisions inside the Asian confederation as the dispute around Infantino intensifies.

It came only hours after six Arab football association presidents, including those from Qatar and Morocco – host of the 2030 World Cup – issued a statement expressing their full support for the FIFA president on Thursday.

Their backing followed the collapse of the proposal to secure private-sector investment in FIFA competitions. Four of the six signatories are members of the FIFA Council: Qatar’s Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida, Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa and Mauritania’s Ahmed Ould Yahya.

In their statement, the six presidents expressed their “deep appreciation for Infantino’s continued efforts to advance football globally, expand opportunities across all regions, and strengthen the role of the game in bringing peoples and communities closer together”.

Infantino had proposed separating the commercial rights to the World Cup and selling 20% of them to private investors. The plan was intended to raise about $4.2bn, but he was forced to abandon it completely after provoking a backlash among the continental confederations.