Gianni Infantino secures six more European nations for FIFA bid
Monday 8 February 2016 17:45, UK
Six more European football federations have confirmed their support for FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino.
Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, and Slovakia will all vote for the current UEFA general secretary in the election, which will take place in Zurich on February 26.
The central European nations join a number of other countries to pledge their support for Infantino, who received the backing of Italy, Greece, Norway, Belarus, Slovenia, Sweden and Armenia last week.
Austrian football federation president Leo Windtner revealed their support after an annual meeting of the six nations, when he said: "Our candidate is Gianni Infantino. That's obvious."
Windtner also called on the remaining European nations to back Infantino, 45, who is bidding to succeed fellow Swiss Sepp Blatter as president of world football's governing body.
He added: "UEFA has not always acted as a unity ... it will be necessary to act together toward the FIFA congress."
Infantino is one of five candidates for the FIFA presidency, facing competition from Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, former FIFA vice president Prince Ali of Jordan, former FIFA official Jerome Champagne of France, and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale.
Africa will be one of the key battlegrounds in the race to replace Blatter, and Liberian federation president Musa Bility claimed on Monday at least 26 nations will defy the continental federation's (CAF) backing for Sheikh Salman.
CAF publicly endorsed Sheikh Salman last Friday, but Liberia came out in support of Prince Ali later in the day, as did Egypt, while South Sudan offered support to Infantino.
"As a nation we have the right (to vote for who we want)," Bility, who was among the early candidates for the role, said. "Our rights are not tied with the rights of the executive committee of CAF."
