FIFA President Gianni Infantino turned to Asia immediately after publicly apologizing for a plan to sell part of the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors, in what observers see as the start of a campaign to shore up support for a fourth term.
The Associated Press reported on the 21st, Korea time, that Infantino's re-election campaign effectively opened this week in Tokyo. He is scheduled to meet behind closed doors with the heads of national football associations under the Asian Football Confederation at a five-star hotel in Tokyo, with reporters barred from access.
The AFC is holding its congress in Tokyo along with a conference for association presidents and general secretaries. With key figures in Asian football administration gathered in one place, the event gives Infantino a chance to court a large number of votes in a short time.
Infantino recently bowed his head at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich over the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which would have transferred some of the World Cup's commercial rights to private hands. The plan was aimed at maximizing revenue, but it drew objections from continental confederations soon after it was announced, leading to his apology.
His choice of Asia for his first official engagement after the apology is read as a sign of how badly he needs Asian votes. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa had publicly opposed the stake sale plan and clashed with Infantino over it. The Athletic, a sports outlet, recently said the gap between the two sides appears to have narrowed considerably and raised the possibility that their relationship could be repaired.
The vote count is already tilting in Infantino's favor. According to the AP, 87 of FIFA's 211 member associations have formally declared support for the incumbent, either individually or through statements by their continental confederations. That leaves him about 20 votes short of a majority of 106.
With 47 member associations, the AFC is the second-largest voting bloc after UEFA. If Asia rallies behind him, Infantino's re-election would be all but assured.
The deadline for registering as a candidate for the FIFA presidency is the 18th of next month.