AFC turmoil will hurt Asian World Cup bids: Velappan

The leadership crisis within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will likely hurt bids by member countries to host the 2018 and perhaps the 2022 World Cup, according to a former official.

Peter Velappan, who was the AFC’s secretary-general for three decades, told AFP that Australia, Japan, South Korea, Qatar and Indonesia all hoped to host World Cups.

But he warned that, “when there is a crisis and feud, it takes a long time to restore solidarity.”

“Asian countries bidding for the World Cup are likely to be handicapped by the current turmoil in the AFC family,” he added.

Divisions in the AFC have grown after Bahrain’s FA nominated Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa for the FIFA seat currently held by the AFC’s president Mohammed Bin Hammam.

The contest for the FIFA post will be held on May 8 during the AFC congress in Malaysia.

Bin Hammam has reportedly said that losing his FIFA post would trigger his resignation as AFC head.

In recent months he has come under fire for pushing a controversial plan to shift the AFC headquarters from Malaysia, sparking criticism from figures such as FIFA vice president Chung Mong-Joon of South Korea.

Velappan said unity had been a hallmark of Asian football in the last five decades and it was key to winning as bidding for the World Cups gears up.

“To win a bid, the chances are good if each confederation submits only one bid,” he said.

“Right now, Asia has five bidders plus a leadership crisis. This naturally creates a negative impression and is bound to affect Asian chances to host the World Cup in the near future.”

Bin Hammam’s tenure as AFC president ends in 2011. But Velappan has said he should quit as AFC president if he loses the FIFA seat.