Rift deepens as Asia football chief hits back at Qatar in Infantino saga

President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa (Mohd RASFAN) A damaging split within Asian football deepened Tuesday as the region's top official hit back at a Qatari challenge over the confederation's move to join UEFA and CONCACAF in targeting FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Infantino has been the butt of scathing criticism ever since launching, and then withdrawing within days, a plan to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including World Cups. Infantino came under renewed fire over the scheme last week in a joint letter from the three confederations, including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who declared that "football belongs to no individual". Infantino's critics want him to stand down over the failed plot to sell off stakes in the World Cup. Recent reports quoted Qatar Football Association president Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani saying in a letter to the AFC that neither he nor the QFA had been consulted before the joint statement was issued. The Qatari football chief demanded an explanation as to why no consultation had taken place and on what basis the AFC could speak on behalf of its 47 member associations, including Qatar. AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa has now hit back to deny he exceeded his authority, saying he acted "within the legal mandate given to me in the AFC's constitution". "I categorically reject any suggestion that my participation in the joint statement exceeded my authority or that the AFC erred in participating in it," the Bahraini said in a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday. "The AFC is the custodian of football in Asia and its president has a responsibility to protect the interests and values of the sport," he added. "In circumstances such as those giving rise to the joint statement it would be inconsistent with that responsibility to remain silent." The AFC, CONCACAF and UEFA had been vociferous in their condemnation of Infantino's sell-off plan and have not let up even after it was shelved. The confederations signed off their letter last week by claiming that under Infantino's leadership "there is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness". Infantino has refused to buckle over his position as president and received the "full support" of senior FIFA directors in an emergency meeting he called in Morocco two weeks ago. jhe/pst