Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa

Sheik Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (Arabic: سلمان بن ابراهيم آل خليفة; born 2 November 1965) is a member of the House of Khalifa, the royal family of Bahrain. He has been president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since 2 May 2013. Before becoming president of AFC, he was president of Bahrain Football Association (BFA) (2002–13)[1] and also Chairman of the Asian Football Confederation Disciplinary Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.[2] He is a member of the FIFA Council and chairman of the FIFA Development Committee.

Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa
سلمان بن ابراهيم آل خليفة
Al Khalifa in a press conference in Tehran
Senior Vice President of FIFA
Assumed office
8 April 2018
PresidentGianni Infantino
Preceded byDavid Chung
President of AFC
Assumed office
2 May 2013
Preceded byZhang Jilong
President of Bahrain Football Association
In office
2 October 2002  1 May 2013
Preceded byAbdulrahman Sayyar
Succeeded byAli bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
Personal details
Born
Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa

(1965-11-02) 2 November 1965
Riffa, Bahrain
NationalityBahraini
Spouse(s)Sheikha Nada (m. 1993)
Children3
RelativesIbraheem Al-Khalifa (Father)
Alma materUniversity of Bahrain
OccupationFootball administrator

Biography

Salman is the second son of Ibrahim bin Hamad al-Khalifa and Aisha bint Salman al-Khalifa, daughter of Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa I, the ruler of Bahrain from 1942 until his death in 1961.

He graduated from the University of Bahrain in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and History. Salman has been involved in football for many years, dating back to the early 1980s when he played a few years in the youth team of Bahrain Division I team, Riffa Club.[3][4]

Since leaving Riffa Club to focus on his academic studies, Salman has held executive positions at the BFA. In 1996, he became chairman of the national team. In 1998, he was elected vice-president of the BFA, and president in 2002. His tenures also include co-chairman of the disciplinary Committee of the FIFA World Cups, the FIFA Beach Tournaments, the FIFA Club Championships, etc. He was also deputy chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee at Beijing in 2008.[4]

Salman was president of the Bahrain Football Association at time of the "golden era" of Bahraini football. The national team was a match away from qualifying to the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup. The team also managed to reach the 2004 Asian Cup semi final, the furthest the national team has ever reached in the continental championship. The national team FIFA ranking also reached its highest in the history of Bahraini Football, as it moved up to the 44th position.[4]

In May 2013, Salman was elected president of the Asian Football Confederation. On 15 October 2015, he announced his candidature for president of FIFA after the election of February 2016.[5] He was defeated by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino. On April 6, 2019 Salman was elected unopposed for a second full term as AFC President for the term 2019-2023.[6]

Personal life

Salman has three children, two daughters and a son.

References

  1.   Posted on » Monday, May 04, 2009 (2009-05-04). "Sports News » 'I don't want to be AFC head'". Gulf Daily News. Retrieved 2017-07-08.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Disciplinary Committee, FIFA. Archived 2009-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Meet the Fifa presidential candidates: Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa |". The National. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  4. "Africa: FIFA Presidency - No Love for Sexwale". AllAfrica.com. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
  5. "Pressure Builds On Sheikh Salman to Respond to Human Rights Allegations". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
  6. "Sheikh Salman heavy favorite to win FIFA election Friday". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
Civic offices
Preceded by
Abdulrahman Sayyar
President of Bahrain Football Association
2002–2013
Succeeded by
Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa
Preceded by
Zhang Jilong
President of Asian Football Confederation
2013–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
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