An open letter attacking FIFA president Gianni Infantino has triggered a public split within Asian football. Qatar have rejected the Asian Football Confederation's position and demanded urgent clarification over who authorised it to speak on behalf of its members.
The row has exposed a clear rift within the Asian house at a pivotal moment in the battle over the future of the FIFA presidency. Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year, faces an unprecedented rebellion led by three of the world's largest continental confederations.
On Monday, the AFC joined European confederation UEFA and North, Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF in a joint attack calling on Infantino to resign. The trigger was the collapse of his attempt to attract private investment for FIFA's tournaments, chiefly the World Cup.
An angry message from Doha
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani hit back. The president of the Qatar Football Association, a member of the AFC executive committee and the FIFA Council, sent a strongly worded message to AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, published by the "Reuters" agency.
Al Thani said in his message: "First, the existence of a collective view must be verified. It cannot be assumed, nor can it be imposed by mere announcement."
He demanded to know the nature of the consultations that took place within the AFC, and on what basis it considered itself authorised to speak for its 47 member associations.
"I was not consulted, neither the Qatar Football Association nor myself personally, whether formally or informally, before the statement was issued," he added. "No prior notice was given, no draft was circulated, and no opportunity was provided to comment on its content or contribute to it before it was published publicly in the name of the AFC and on behalf of its members."
Asian division and Arab support for Infantino
The move lays bare deep divisions within the AFC at a critical moment.
Qatar's challenge came just hours after the presidents of six Arab associations, including Qatar and Morocco, host of the 2030 World Cup, announced their full support for Infantino on Thursday, amid the crisis that followed the failure of the private investment proposal.
Four members of the FIFA Council sit among the six signatories: Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, Hani Abo Rida of Egypt, Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco, and Ahmed Ould Yahya of Mauritania.
Their statement expressed "their deep appreciation for Infantino's ongoing efforts to advance football globally, expand the scope of opportunities in all regions, and strengthen the role of the game in bringing peoples and communities closer together".
Infantino had proposed separating the commercial rights of the World Cup and selling 20% of them to private sector investors, hoping to raise around 4.2 billion dollars. He was forced to withdraw the project entirely after the storm it stirred within the continental confederations.