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Fifa president Gianni Infantino has received a major boost to his hopes of re-election after the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) gave him its firm backing.
The move, announced by UAFA following a meeting of its directors this week, is significant as it further weakens the coalition of Europe, North America and the Caribbean, and Asia which has been pushing hard for Infantino’s departure over his World Cup sell-off plan.
It means the Asian Football Confederation can no longer count on 12 of its members – including key players Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE – to be part of a bloc vote for an alternative candidate to Infantino in the March 2027 election and may fear others splitting too.
“The Board of Directors of UAFA welcomed the recent steps taken by Fifa to ensure continued collaboration with national, regional, and continental football associations and to strengthen cooperation and joint efforts on decisions aimed at advancing football worldwide,” they said.
“The UAFA also reaffirmed its support and appreciation, in the coming period, for Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who over a decade strengthened unity across the global football community, further developed and grew the game, and expanded its global reach in a way that serves the interests of all stakeholders and meets the aspirations of players and fans around the world.”
What is UAFA and who is the power behind it?
Infantino has developed a power base in the Arab world, through Fifa’s collaboration with Qatar, Morocco and Saudi Arabia on the hosting of the men’s World Cup in 2022, 2030 and 2034 respectively. His wife is Lebanese and he speaks Arabic.
UAFA comprises 12 Asian nations, who also include Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, and 10 from Africa, among them Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia. It is headed by a Saudi prince, Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, and has its headquarters in Riyadh.
The Fifa president has already split the Concacaf vote by securing the support of Mexico and Caribbean nations including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, while he has the backing of Caf, Conmebol and OFC, the confederations of Africa, South America and Oceania.
It leaves Europe’s Uefa as the only continental confederation united in its opposition to Infantino extending his 10-year reign at the head of world football’s governing body.
No rival candidate has yet come forward and time is running out for them to do so before the declaration deadline in mid-November.
Infantino’s regime has also been challenged by Europe’s top football leagues and global player union Fifpro over Fifa’s unilateral decision making over expansion of the World Cup and Club World Cup, and the calendar more widely.
Last month he attempted to quell dissent sparked by his plans to sell minority stakes in Fifa’s tournament business to private investors, writing to stakeholders to promise an external review of the organisation’s governance.
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