According to The Athletic, FIFA Vice President and AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa sent a letter to Gianni Infantino on 6 October, signaling a softening of his previous calls for Infantino's resignation. Instead, Salman proposed establishing an internal working group to examine how to strengthen FIFA's existing governance mechanisms.

Salman had previously criticized Infantino harshly and believed that the FIFA president, who holds dual Swiss and Italian citizenship, should resign following the failure of his Future of Football Entertainment (FFE) proposal. However, the letter reviewed by The Athletic reveals a shift in Salman's position. In the letter sent to Infantino on Tuesday, he suggested that all parties "constructively explore ways to strengthen FIFA's existing governance mechanisms." The letter was also copied to presidents of other continental football confederations, including Aleksander Čeferin and Victor Montagliani.

In the letter, Salman stated he was not advocating for "a complete overhaul of FIFA's governance system" but rather proposing the formation of a working group to review existing governance bodies, rather than outsourcing the process to external organizations. However, he had previously co-signed a letter with UEFA and CONCACAF, clearly stating that any review should be conducted by "a fully independent third party."

Salman wrote in his letter: "In recent months, there has been extensive discussion and reporting surrounding FIFA governance, transparency, decision-making processes, and institutional checks and balances."

"We must consider whether the mandates of existing bodies are sufficiently clear, whether the separation of powers among institutions is appropriate, and whether the necessary checks and balances not only exist on paper but function effectively in practice."

"Continental confederations and FIFA itself possess extensive and relevant experience and expertise. Therefore, I believe this process should be led by football bodies themselves, rather than delegated to external organizations."

FIFA and the AFC were asked to comment. Salman's proposal comes just over a week before the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on 15 October. This will be the first FIFA Council meeting since Infantino's FFE proposal became public, which proposed opening 20% of FIFA's commercial and events operations to private investors, drawing global scrutiny.

Following this, various stakeholders, including UEFA, have demanded Infantino's resignation, with opposition spreading globally. However, within the AFC, led by Salman, positions have been more divided.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation was among the first to publicly support the FIFA president. In contrast, the Jordan Football Association has expressed "serious concern" and accused FIFA of attempting to "pressure" them into supporting Infantino's re-election bid.

Infantino has served as FIFA president since 2016 and remains the sole candidate for next year's presidential election.

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