Asian Football Confederation set to end presidential term limits

Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among four AFC members which are proposing to end term limits when the Asian football body meets ahead of the FIFA Congress.

FILE PHOTO: Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa talks during the FIFA Congress in 2016 in Zurich | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) could soon abolish term limits for its president and other elected officials, continuing a trend among international sports bodies toward easing anti-corruption rules and letting leaders stay in office.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among four AFC members which are proposing to end term limits when the Asian football body meets in Bangkok next month ahead of the FIFA Congress there on May 17. The proposal, which has been seen by AP, asks member federations to “remove the term limits imposed on the AFC executive committee members and president.”

That would open the door for AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa to keep the job — and the status it brings as a FIFA vice president — after his current term ends in 2027.

Sheikh Salman was first elected in 2013 to complete the term vacated by Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, who was implicated in bribing FIFA voters. He is now on his third full, four-year term — which is the maximum according to the AFC’s current rules.

The AFC, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, did not answer questions about the proposal sent Monday by the AP.

Term limits for presidents and senior officials are seen as a key curb on power cliques and patronage in international sports.

However, the Asian football body follows its European counterpart UEFA and the International Olympic Committee in recent months by looking to extend their leaders’ hold on power as time passes after notorious scandals.

The AFC proposal appears to enable senior officials to seek re-election an unlimited number of times.

However, FIFA rules should still ensure Sheikh Salman must leave his VP role with the global governing body in 2031.

FIFA statutes limit the members of its ruling council, including vice presidents like Sheikh Salman, to a maximum of three four-year terms starting in 2019.