Divided Asia gears up for 'crucial' soccer election

By Martin Petty

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Asia's soccer chiefs go to the polls on Friday against a backdrop of acrimony, distrust and bitter brawling which has plunged the football-mad region into uncharted waters.

Although only a routine election for a seat on the FIFA executive committee, the vote could decide who will hold the power in Asia and bring a premature end to the reign of the region's soccer chief Mohamed Bin Hammam.

"We are now facing the most crucial stage in the history of Asian football," FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon told reporters on Thursday at the annual congress of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

"This historic moment presents a critical challenge to us."

Bin Hammam faces his first challenge since taking the West Asia seat on the FIFA executive committee in 1996.

The charismatic Qatari, who turns 60 on Friday, sees the polls as a vote on his leadership and has vowed to quit as AFC boss if defeated.

He faces newcomer Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, a Bahraini royal family member and former friend of Bin Hammam, who accuses his opponent of being an authoritarian who has divided Asian soccer.

"I'm confident I will have success in this election," he told Reuters. "We need to restore democracy in our game and bring all our members together again, as one."