British Member of Parliament (MP) Damian Collins, a key member of campaign group #NewFIFANow, yesterday accused the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief of spending FIFA development money in his unsuccessful bid for a seat on the FIFA Executive Committee in 2009.

Collins made the claims in the House of Commons and was therefore is covered by Parliamentary privilege, which means he cannot be sued. 

The MP for Folkestone and Hythe then placed Shaikh Salman, widely considered as the favourite to succeed banned President Sepp Blatter in election here on Friday (February 26), at the centre of a scandal concerning alleged cash for votes during the Bahraini’s bid to become the President of the Asian Football Confederation in 2013. 

It was claimed that the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) offered incentives in exchange for members to vote for Shaikh Salman.

The Bahrain Football Association head won the election by securing 33 of the 46 available votes, beating off competition from Yousuf Al Serkal of the United Arab Emirates and Thailand’s Worawi Makudi, recently banned for three months for after he failed to comply with a previous suspension. 

A statement released on behalf of Shaikh Salman by London-based law firm Schillings said that the accusations were “demonstrably false” and that his campaign for a spot on the Executive Committee in 2009 was “funded entirely from his own pocket”.

“Shaikh Salman has and had no knowledge whatsoever of any inducements offered, or of any payments made by the OCA to any football associations and absolutely no evidence has been forthcoming to show this to have been the case,” the statement added.

The OCA has also dismissed the accusations.

"The OCA strongly denies these accusations which are entirely without foundation," a statement from the body read.

Shaikh Salman has also been forced to deny claims he was complicit in the torture of Bahraini athletes during anti-Government protests in 2011, which have overshadowed his campaign to date.

The AFC President has added to the list of dissenting voices within the candidates by suggesting Infantino vowing to increase the amount of funding given to the 209 Member Associations by $5 million (£3.5 million/€4.5 million) per year could “bankrupt” FIFA.

The UEFA general secretary also aims to inject $40 million (£28 million/€36 million) into the six Confederations within world football over the same period if he is elected.

Frenchman Jérôme Champagne, who is also in the running for the FIFA Presidency, described the Swiss’ financial pledges as “dangerous” for the future of the organisation.

“I think in three years we [FIFA] would be bankrupt - that's how it is,” Shaikh Salman told the Associated Press.

“Every person can see this cannot happen.

“The numbers do not match at all...you cannot make promises that you cannot keep.”

Jordan Football Association President Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale are also vying for FIFA's top job.