Qatar challenges AFC over open letter attacking FIFA President Infantino

What the report says

Qatar has publicly pushed back against the Asian Football Confederation after the AFC joined UEFA and CONCACAF in issuing a sharp open letter criticizing FIFA president Gianni Infantino. According to Al Jazeera’s report, Qatar Football Association president Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani wrote to AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa saying neither he nor the QFA had been consulted before the statement was released.

The letter, seen by Reuters, questioned how the AFC could claim to speak on behalf of its 47 member associations without prior consultation. Al-Thani said no draft had been shared and no chance was given to comment before the AFC statement was made public. The dispute highlights growing divisions inside Asian football at a sensitive moment for FIFA leadership.

Infantino, who is expected to seek re-election next year, has faced criticism after confederations accused him of misconduct over an abandoned plan to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. Al Jazeera reported that six Arab national federation heads, including Qatar’s, later backed Infantino, adding another layer to the split. Those signatories also included officials from Morocco, Egypt and Mauritania, several of whom sit on the FIFA Council.

The episode matters because it shows uncertainty over who speaks for regional football bodies and how far support for Infantino extends across Asia and the Arab world amid wider opposition from other confederations.