Asian confederation boss backs Infantino's reelection bid

TOKYO — Asian Football Confederation head Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa endorsed Gianni Infantino's bid for reelection as FIFA president on Friday, just two months after describing his plan to sell a stake in FIFA tournaments as a "breach of trust". Infantino faced calls to resign over his failed attempt in July to bring private investors into a new commercial entity holding rights linked to competitions including the World Cup, with Sheikh Salman joining the presidents of UEFA and CONCACAF to pen an open letter criticizing the FIFA president's conduct. Infantino, who apologized over the handling of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich this month, is up for reelection in March next year and the support of the Asian bloc could prove crucial. Speaking at the AFC's extraordinary congress in Tokyo on Friday, Sheikh Salman said he had ironed out his differences with Infantino. "I think that we reaffirm our full commitment, of course, to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as a FIFA president," he said in comments direc