Infantino plans Japan trip seeking FIFA reelection backing

Gianni Infantino is taking his FIFA re-election campaign to Japan to seek support from Asian football federations. The outreach follows his apology to FIFA’s ruling council for mistakes in developing a now-abandoned $4.2 billion plan to sell off World Cup commercial rights, a proposal that drew criticism and raised concerns about FIFA’s decision-making. Support within Asia appears divided: Qatar has backed Infantino, while Jordan has opposed him, and AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa had initially criticized the plan. An Associated Press tally cited by several reports found Infantino had support from 87 of FIFA’s 211 member federations, leaving Asian votes potentially important to his bid for another term.