KUALA LUMPUR: Asian football federations have been urged to unite behind the FIFA candidacy of their confederation president, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

A statement issued by Guam’s Richard Lai, the AFC marketing committee chairman, appeared to be an urgent to a positive visit to Kuala Lumpur earlier this week by rival candidate Gianni Infantino.

Sheikh Salman knows that he cannot rally all the AFC members behind since Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein is a third candidate and has direct logistical support from the United Arab Emirates.

Lai said: “Our vision is One Asia, One Goal. Our goal is a united Asia and to demonstrate that we must unite behind our president in the FIFA election.

“At present Asia has two candidates for the FIFA presidency. We must unite behind the one who will deliver these reforms and that is the AFC president. The AFC should not just support the reform process but be a part of it.”

Infantino is general secretary of European federation and his visit to Kuala Lumpur pointed up the fact that Sheikh Salman almost never visits the city where the AFC is headquartered.

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