<p class="title">Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa faces a challenge as the head of the continent's ruling soccer body with two candidates putting themselves forward for next April's election.</p>.<p class="bodytext">AFC Vice President Saoud A Aziz M A Al-Mohannadi of Qatar and Executive Committee member Mohamed Khalfan Matar Saeed Alromaithi from the United Arab Emirates had lodged their candidacies to challenge Sheikh Salman, the AFC said on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An expected challenge from Saudi Arabia Football Federation's former President Adel Ezzat did not materialise. Ezzat had said in 2017 he would stand against Sheikh Salman in the 2019 elections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ezzat's hopes of a building a power base were apparently hurt in October by the decision of members of the South Asian Football Federation to withdraw from the Saudi-created South West Asian Football Federation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sheikh Salman said in October he would be seeking a third term in office. He was first elected AFC president in 2013 to complete the term of disgraced former president Mohammed bin Hammam.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bin Hammam was banned for life by FIFA, the game's governing body, in 2011 and the AFC was led by interim president Zhang Jilong until Sheikh Salman's successful election.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Bahraini was re-elected to his post in 2015.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The AFC President also holds a Vice-President post at world governing body FIFA. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)</p>
<p class="title">Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa faces a challenge as the head of the continent's ruling soccer body with two candidates putting themselves forward for next April's election.</p>.<p class="bodytext">AFC Vice President Saoud A Aziz M A Al-Mohannadi of Qatar and Executive Committee member Mohamed Khalfan Matar Saeed Alromaithi from the United Arab Emirates had lodged their candidacies to challenge Sheikh Salman, the AFC said on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An expected challenge from Saudi Arabia Football Federation's former President Adel Ezzat did not materialise. Ezzat had said in 2017 he would stand against Sheikh Salman in the 2019 elections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ezzat's hopes of a building a power base were apparently hurt in October by the decision of members of the South Asian Football Federation to withdraw from the Saudi-created South West Asian Football Federation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sheikh Salman said in October he would be seeking a third term in office. He was first elected AFC president in 2013 to complete the term of disgraced former president Mohammed bin Hammam.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bin Hammam was banned for life by FIFA, the game's governing body, in 2011 and the AFC was led by interim president Zhang Jilong until Sheikh Salman's successful election.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Bahraini was re-elected to his post in 2015.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The AFC President also holds a Vice-President post at world governing body FIFA. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)</p>