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China's Zhang to take AFC reins?

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-31 07:41

China's Zhang Jilong will take the reins of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the absence of Mohamed bin Hammam, a source at the AFC said on Monday, but Zhang later told China's portal Sina.com that bin Hammam is still the AFC president and the ban by FIFA does not mean bin Hamman could not act in his role at the AFC.

"FIFA suspended bin Hamman but he is still the president of AFC. FIFA has no right to prevent him from acting his role in AFC."

AFC vice-president Zhang ran for a seat on FIFA's executive committee earlier this year but was beaten in a vote at the AFC's congress in Doha.

Bin Hammam's suspension from FIFA was greeted with a wall of silence in Asia as soccer figures in the region took stock in the aftermath of Sunday's stunning turn of events.

Chief officials of the Chinese Football Association are now in Switzerland for the coming FIFA congress and AFC meeting and declined to make any comment on the issue.

Agence France-Presse - China Daily

(China Daily 05/31/2011 page24)