SEOUL, Nov 29: A proposed move of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters from the east to the western fringe of the region is polarising opinion in the diverse continent.

The AFC has been based in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur since 1965, but on July 29 the region’s top official, Mohamed Bin Hammam, invited bids from member associations interested in becoming home to the governing body.

Only Qatar — Bin Hammam’s home nation — the United Arab Emirates and Singapore expressed definite interest in challenging Malaysia as host, the AFC said.

With some members of the confederation already uneasy about the perceived growing power of West Asia in continental football politics, debate in the next months is set to intensify.

Former AFC general secretary Peter Velappan, a veteran Malaysian administrator, criticised the move in an open letter sent to the AFC’s annual congress in Shanghai, China this month. He had earlier called any move “foolish.”

“I would respectfully request the potential bidders to withdraw their bids if they are seriously committed to safeguarding the stability and future of Asian football,” Velappan wrote. “The history and culture of Asian football should not be subject to an auction to the highest bidder.”

Bin Hammam, a FIFA executive committee member and aspirant for football’s top job, has dismissed Velappan’s criticism and told the AFC’s website that Malaysia has first right of refusal and that the AFC simply wants to formalise relations with government in the host country.

“We need terms and conditions we can agree upon and which both parties can commit to,” Bin Hammam said. “That is the reason we are looking at shifting our headquarters.”

In a statement on the AFC’s website late Friday, Bin Hammam said he was reiterating his belief that he would like to keep the AFC Headquarters at its current location in Malaysia.

“However, it is important that there is a formal agreement between the AFC and the host government that provides the AFC with certain benefits recognising its role as a major sports governing body,” the statement said.

The oil-rich Gulf nations appear more willing to accept the demands made by the AFC, a list which reportedly includes interest-free loans, tax breaks and diplomatic status for top officials.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), which moved from Marylebone in west London, is one global sports organisation that has moved to Dubai, UAE for the tax breaks.

Malaysia cannot match the incentives.

“We don’t want to bid because the demands of the AFC are too extreme,” Azzuddin Ahmad, general secretary of Football Association Malaysia (FAM) said. “We can’t explain why the AFC wants to move, they have been here for 44 years and everything has been going well.”

Reports in Malaysia’s domestic media claim that the AFC’s demands are red herrings and that the organisation decided to leave Kuala Lumpur as early as 2004 in order to further Bin Hammam’s political ambitions by moving closer to Europe and the headquarters of FIFA.

In 2006, permanent local employees at the AFC House were put on three-year contracts that will end on Dec 31, 2009.

Qatar Football Association’s General Secretary Sauod Al Mohannadi has put the case forward for Doha.

“We succeeded in organizing some of the world’s biggest sports events previously, and I don’t see why we can’t pull this off. We are a small country, but we believe in our chance,” he stated.

Doha, Qatar hosted the 2006 Asian Games and entered an ambitious bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics before dropping out of the race. It will host the 2011 Asian Cup football championships.

Moving the headquarters won’t be easy. South Korea, the most successful of the Asian nations in terms of World Cup appearances, has already expressed doubts about the need to move the AFC.—AP