KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) The African soccer confederation says it is backing Sheikh Salman of Bahrain in this month's FIFA presidential election.
The announcement was made by Confederation of African Football vice presidents Suketu Patel and Almamy Kabele Camara at a news conference following an executive committee meeting in Rwanda on Friday.
The decision to back the Asian soccer confederation president gives a major boost to the Bahraini royal's hopes of succeeding Sepp Blatter as the head of the scandal-scarred soccer body. Salman and UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino are seen as the strongest candidates to win the Feb. 29 election by FIFA's 209 member countries.
The decision also means CAF has turned its back on the only African candidate in the five-man field, South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale.
