Asian soccer body set to end presidential term limits in latest pushback on anti
GENEVA (AP) — The Asian Football Confederation 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 who are proposing to end term limits when the Asian soccer body meets in Bangkok next month ahead of the FIFA Congress there on May 17. The proposal, which has been seen by The Associated Press, 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 of Bahrain 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.