Qatar says it was not consulted before the AFC joined criticism of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
A growing dispute within Asian football has surfaced as the Qatar Football Association (QFA) challenged the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over its decision to join UEFA and CONCACAF in criticising FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
QFA President Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani has questioned whether the AFC had the authority to issue a joint statement representing all of its member associations. In a letter addressed to AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Al-Thani said neither he nor the QFA had been consulted before the statement was released.
Al-Thani, who is also an AFC Executive Committee member and FIFA Council member, requested clarification about the consultation process. He argued that a collective position should only be presented after the views of member associations had been properly established.
The development exposes growing divisions within Asian football at a crucial point for Infantino, who is seeking another term as FIFA president next year. UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF have criticised his leadership and opposed plans linked to private investment in FIFA competitions.
The FIFA investment proposal involved creating a new entity to oversee major competitions, including the World Cup, with plans to attract billions of dollars from private investors. The proposal faced significant resistance from football stakeholders and was ultimately withdrawn.
Qatar’s challenge is particularly notable because the country was among six Arab football associations that recently expressed support for Infantino. Morocco, one of the co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup, was also among the associations backing the FIFA president.
Several of the supporters are members of the FIFA Council, including Al-Thani, Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa, Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya. Their backing underlines the differing positions emerging within global football’s governing structures.
The Qatar FA has maintained that it was not given advance notice of the AFC statement and had no opportunity to review or contribute to its contents.
The AFC has so far declined to comment on the issue. The disagreement could add further uncertainty to the growing battle over Infantino’s future and reveal deeper divisions within the Asian football governing body.