A significant internal dispute has emerged within Asian football following the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) decision to join UEFA and CONCACAF in a public critique of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani has challenged the AFC leadership, arguing that the organization lacked the mandate to speak on behalf of its 47 member associations regarding the FIFA chief.
In a letter addressed to AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Al-Thani—who serves on both the AFC Executive Committee and the FIFA Council—asserted that neither he nor the QFA were consulted before the joint statement was released on Monday. He emphasized that the AFC provided no advance notice, circulated no drafts, and offered no opportunity for members to contribute to the document before it was published in their name.
“A collective view must first be ascertained; it cannot be presumed, and it cannot be brought into existence by declaration,” Al-Thani wrote in the correspondence, which was reviewed by Reuters. He has demanded that the AFC clarify the consultation process and explain the legal basis for its claim to represent the collective stance of its diverse membership.
The controversy stems from a broader revolt against Infantino, who is currently seeking re-election. The FIFA president has faced intense pressure following his controversial proposal to sell 20 percent of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors to generate approximately $4.2 billion. Although Infantino later abandoned the plan due to widespread backlash, the incident triggered calls for his resignation from several confederations.
The tension within the AFC was further highlighted on Thursday when the heads of six Arab national football associations, including Qatar and 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, publicly backed Infantino. These leaders praised his efforts to expand global football opportunities and foster community engagement. Among the six signatories were four FIFA Council members: Al-Thani, Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida, Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa, and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya.
This intervention by Qatar underscores deep divisions within the AFC at a pivotal moment for FIFA’s governance. By questioning the legitimacy of the AFC’s public stance, Al-Thani has brought the internal friction over Infantino’s leadership into the spotlight, complicating the confederation’s unified front against the FIFA president.
He asked the AFC to explain what consultation there had been and on what basis it considered itself authorised to speak collectively for its 47 member associations.
