UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said he would work to clean up FIFA from “day one” if elected leader, after an evening of close discussions with his rival Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
Infantino said that he would instigate reforms immediately if he is elected on Feb. 26 to succeed the suspended and deeply controversial Sepp Blatter.
Infantino was speaking after sitting side-by-side with Al Khalifa, another leading contender for FIFA, at Sunday’s Asian soccer awards near New Delhi.
“Reforms ... need to be not only agreed, but they need to be implemented as well,” Infantino said late on Sunday. “So as of day one, 27th of February, you have to start implementing and living the reforms and from doing it on a day-by-day basis in UEFA I know what it means — good governance, financial transparency, structure of changes that are being proposed.”
Infantino and Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), were seen having cordial discussions during the awards ceremony and gala dinner in Gurgaon.
A third FIFA candidate, Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, who has been at odds with Al Khalifa in the past, was seated elsewhere.
Neither al-Hussein or al-Khalifa were prepared to discuss their FIFA ambitions, but the latter gave an indication of Asia’s growing clout and ambition in his opening address.
“For a long time, people talked about the future being Asia. I am now convinced that the present is Asia,” Al Khalifa told the crowd of hundreds of delegates. “I’m certain that we stand on the very brink of greatness in this continent, the dawning of an Asian age.”
Al Khalifa and Infantino are shaping as the leading candidates to take over FIFA, after a period of unprecedented turmoil sparked by a series of corruption claims.
Al Khalifa’s bid has strong backing in Asia, home to one of FIFA’s biggest federations, as well as the heavyweight support of Kuwaiti powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah.
Infantino is Europe’s main candidate, after Michel Platini was suspended over a suspect US$2 million payment and he has also been promised the votes of the 10-member South American confederation.
He skirted questioning about the challenge posed by Al Khalifa, and said what soccer needed was open debate about its future, as well as unity among FIFA’s 209 members.
“[Al Khalifa] is obviously the president of a very important confederation, the AFC. It’s normal that he has the backing here, the same as I have the backing in Europe,” Infantino said. “South America has also expressed their backing for me, which is another important football confederation... What I hope and what I think will happen is we can debate. Because what football needs as well is a proper debate on the future. As long we can do that in a constructive way, it’s always good.”
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