Shaikh Salman romps to AFC presidency

Vows to put Asian football back on track during tenure.

KUALA LAMPUR: Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa fought back against allegations of human rights abuses yesterday as he became Asian football’s new leader with a landslide election win.

The royal, who has also denied vote-buying claims, won 33 of the 46 votes to become president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), replacing disgraced ex-leader Mohamed bin Hammam.

With Yousef al Serkal of the UAE and Thailand’s Worawi Makudi gathering just six and seven votes respectively, it was a crushing victory for Sheikh Salman who will now complete bin Hammam’s term, which finishes in 2015.

The Bahrain football association chief also beat Qatar’s Hassan al Thawadi in a separate vote for a seat on Fifa’s executive committee, giving him a voice at the top of football’s world governing body.

“My mission is to reunite our confederation,” said Shaikh Salman. “My mission is to lead our family towards a future of growth and prosperity, a future based on good governance and integrity.

“The Asian football family is at a crossroads. We have the power to erase a chapter in our history.”



Sheikh Salman was referring to the spectacular demise of Qatar’s bin Hammam, who challenged for the Fifa presidency but was accused of bribery and then of financial wrongdoing in office. He stepped down last year.

The sheikh also promised to be a ‘strong leader’ who would implement ‘principles of good governance at every level’ and try to put Asian football in order after the messy end to the bin Hammam era.

Fifa chief Sepp Blatter hailed the polls’ ‘total transparency’.

“I wish him a lot of success. It’s certain that Asian football is going to travel a difficult road now to renew this great confederation,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2013.