Vote-buying, abuse claims overshadow Asian vote

Asia's troubled football body elects a new leader on Thursday after a bitter campaign dominated by claim and counter-claim of outside interference, and even allegations of human rights abuses. Two years after vote-buying accusations prompted the eventual downfall of former president Mohamed bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is at risk of new controversy as delegates gather to choose his successor.
All three leading candidates for the presidency have been accused, at some point, of either corruption or allowing outside powers to meddle in the vote, tempering hopes of a new era of openness and transparency. Accusations, denials and counter-claims have flown thick in recent days, lending a testy atmosphere to proceedings as representatives of the AFC's 46 members meet at a five-star hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur. If the battle has been hard-fought, it's because the stakes are high: the AFC, the world's biggest football confederation, has significant revenues and influence across a vast region stretching from the Middle East to Oceania.