FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said he has the backing of the “vast, vast majority” of member associations in his bid for re-election despite criticism of his aborted World Cup sell-off plan.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rallied behind Infantino on Friday in a significant boost to the 56-year-old’s hopes of winning a fourth term in charge.
Infantino’s future in the role was in doubt two months ago when he faced a furious backlash to his plan to sell off a portion of the commercial rights of competitions run by football’s world governing body to private investors.
The heads of European football’s governing body UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF, which runs the game in North and Central America, signed a letter saying football “belongs to no individual”.
But Infantino, who apologised last week for the failed private investment project, is now in a strong position to secure re-election in March.
“I think what is important is that in an organisation like FIFA, there can be different views, different points of view,” Infantino told the BBC on Saturday.
“But if we are serious about democracy, about the democratic process, about believing that everyone has the same vote and the same voice all over the world, that football belongs to everyone, if we are serious about that, then we need to respect as well the views of the vast, vast majority.
“I’m just coming back off Tokyo where the Asian Football Confederation has fully endorsed me. I was in Cape Verde where all African countries have endorsed me. I’m speaking to all associations everywhere in the world.”
No other candidate has yet come forward to oppose Infantino with the deadline to do so less than a month away on Nov 18.
He added: “There are different points of view it’s not always easy to bring them all under one roof but we need to respect and I do respect all opinions all views and then it will be up to the FIFA member associations to decide who they want as a president and how they want FIFA to be run.”