Indonesia and 10 Asian Countries Support FIFA President Gianni Infantino

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has formally adopted an institutional position opposing Gianni Infantino. However, this AFC stance does not actually reflect the voice of all its members, as 11 member associations have instead publicly declared their support for the FIFA President.

This development emerged after AFC President Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa released an official statement on Monday 10 August, calling for Infantino to resign from his post.

The resignation demand letter was co-signed by UEFA and CONCACAF as a form of pressure against FIFA leadership.

As of Tuesday 11 August, no information has been confirmed regarding any AFC meeting -- including virtual gatherings -- held with the 47 national member federations to establish a unified collective position.

Conversely, 11 AFC members have already openly demonstrated support for Infantino. These nations are Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Lebanon, Bhutan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Timor Leste.

Indonesia became the first Asian nation to support Infantino

Through its national football association PSSI, Indonesia was the first country in Asia to publicly declare official support for Infantino.

This endorsement was based on the assessment that Infantino has delivered tangible contributions to the development of football in Indonesia.

After Indonesia announced its position, a number of other AFC members followed suit to state their own support.

Timor Leste is the most recent Asian nation that has openly confirmed their backing for Infantino as of current reporting.

Contrast with UEFA dynamics

The internal divisions within the AFC show a clear difference to the situation in Europe. UEFA holds a unified institutional position in the opposition bloc against Infantino, and no European country has publicly declared support for him to date.

A similar yet distinct situation is unfolding at CONCACAF. So far, Mexico is the only CONCACAF member that has formally announced support for Infantino, while approximately 40 other CONCACAF members are aligned with the opposition bloc.

Infantino maintains that the pressure directed against him only represents the stance of select factions within AFC, UEFA and CONCACAF, rather than the official position of the full membership of these confederations.