The dispute within Asian football has escalated due to the continental federation's stance on the FIFA president Gianni Infantino crisis, after Salman Al Khalifa responded to the Qatari federation's criticisms, asserting that he did not exceed his authority.
The Asian, European and CONCACAF federations sent an open letter criticizing the directions of FIFA President Infantino, especially the project to introduce private investments into FIFA tournaments, most notably the World Cup, a project he later backed down from after a wide wave of objections.
The three federations stressed in their letter that football "does not belong to any one individual," indicating the need to avoid monopolizing power within the game. Critics also called on Infantino to step down from his position due to the controversy surrounding the proposed sale of shares in the World Cup.
The Asian Football Confederation's position was not accepted by the Qatar Football Association, which announced that it had not been consulted before the statement was issued or informed of its contents.
The Qatari federation demanded clarification of the mechanism followed by the Asian Football Confederation before issuing the statement, and disclosure of how the national member federations were informed or consulted about a position presented as expressing the collective position of the continent.
The president of the Qatari federation, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, confirmed that his federation had not received any prior notification or draft of the statement, and had not been given the opportunity to express its opinion or participate in its drafting.
He stressed that any position issued in the name of the member federations must be preceded by clear consultation, and that it is not assumed that there is a consensus among the federations without referring to them.
In contrast, the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Bahraini Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, categorically rejected the accusations against him, stressing that his participation in the joint statement was within the powers granted to him by the AFC constitution.
He said that the Asian Football Confederation is the body responsible for the care of football in the continent, and that its president bears the responsibility of defending the interests and values of the game.
He added that the circumstances that led to the issuance of the joint statement made "remaining silent incompatible with this responsibility," rejecting any suggestion that the Asian Football Confederation erred in participating in the statement.
This escalation comes at a time when Infantino is facing increasing criticism over a plan to involve private sector investors in the rights to FIFA tournaments.
Despite the pressure, the FIFA president rejected calls for his resignation, while receiving full support from a number of senior FIFA officials during an emergency meeting held in Morocco about two weeks ago.
Thus, the Infantino crisis has turned from a dispute over an investment project into a clear division within Asian football, with tension continuing between the Asian Football Confederation and a number of national federations over the mechanism for taking positions attributed to the entire continent.
