Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohamed Bin Hammam has vowed to step down if he fails to retain his seat on the FIFA executive committee in elections this May.

The Qatari, who has held the West Asia FIFA seat since 1996, will go up against Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain in what is being interpreted as a hostile challenge to Bin Hammam's six-year reign as Asia soccer chief.

"Some people have launched a campaign against me, maybe they don't like me, a man from the desert being at the helm," Bin Hammam said.

"If I don't retain my FIFA executive membership from the region on May 8, I will quit my position as president."

The AFC confirmed the comments had been made when contacted by Reuters yesterday.

Asia has four seats on the FIFA executive committee, one for a FIFA vice-president plus one each for East Asia, West Asia and Southeast Asia.

Bin Hammam on Feb. 3 proposed an amendment to Asian statutes which would grant an automatic spot on the FIFA executive committee to the AFC president.

That seat would come at the expense of South Korean soccer chief Chung Mong-joon, who currently holds the position of FIFA vice-president.

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