KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa will stand unopposed to retain his position after the withdrawal of his opponents ahead of the AFC Congress on Saturday.
The incumbent president will run unopposed for both the top AFC post and that of FIFA vice-president for a second term, following the withdrawal of AFC vice-presidents Saoud A Aziz M A Al-Mohannadi of Qatar and Mohamed Khalfan Matar Saeed Alromaithi from the United Arab Emirates, the Asian football governing body said on Saturday.
Saoud and Mohamed Khalfan had initially been nominated to contest in the election for the top post for the term of 2019-2023 during the AFC Congress.
The AFC president will be a vice-president ex-officio of FIFA, the world football governing body.
Sheikh Salman, from Bahrain, was first elected AFC president in 2013 for the remaining term of former president Mohammed bin Hammam, who was banned for life by FIFA for corruption. He was re-elected unopposed in 2015.
During the AFC Congress, AFC Member Associations will elect positions for the next four-year term, including six FIFA Council Members, five AFC Vice Presidents and AFC Executive Committee members.
Du Zhaocai, Deputy Minister of China's General Administration of Sport, was nominated as a FIFA Council member as well as AFC vice president.
