FIFA President Gianni Infantino will travel to Japan this week as part of his re-election campaign. He is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Asian Football Confederation at a five-star hotel in Tokyo on Wednesday, aiming to secure Asian support for his bid for a fourth term in office next March.

The meeting is expected to be held largely away from media scrutiny. Last week in Zurich, Infantino apologised to FIFA's ruling council for 'mistakes' in assembling a now-scrapped sell-off plan for the World Cup. The FIFA Council is the organisation's main decision-making body with a global spread of officials.

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the president of the AFC, had expressed early opposition to Infantino and his World Cup subsidiary plan but may have moved closer to the FIFA leader. Infantino has offered critics an open, independent review of how FIFA makes its decisions.

Asian votes key

An Associated Press tally indicates Infantino is close to securing the simple majority of the FIFA member federations needed to win re-election. Some of the deciding votes could come from Asia. The AFC had joined criticism of Infantino following the proposed World Cup sell-off, but its members appear far from united. Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host, has expressed support for the FIFA leader, while Jordan has declared its opposition.

The FIFA Council is next scheduled to meet in December in Doha, Qatar. The deadline for candidates to file against Infantino is November. FIFA rules state candidates must have 'played an active role in association football' for two of the last five years and have 'declarations of support' from at least five members. No sitting FIFA president has lost an election since 1974.

Cathal Kelly said, "With pride and dignity checked at the door, Gianni Infantino isn’t going anywhere."

Amid this political manoeuvring, the Japan national team continues its strong form on the pitch. They are unbeaten in their last four matches, with three wins and a draw, most recently beating New Zealand in October. Their next fixture is a significant home match against Brazil in November, with the team's schedule progressing alongside the off-field developments.

Background and full detail: Globe and Mail Sports