Salman Sidesteps Rights Abuse Claims in Bahrain

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa launched his campaign to head Asian football with plenty of talk about match fixing, grassroots football and more equitable spending of revenues.

But when it came to human rights in his divided nation of Bahrain, Sheikh Salman had little to say.

Sheikh Salman, who is bidding to become Asian Football Confederation president, refused to answer a question about rights abuses during Tuesday's press conference.

And in an interview with The Associated Press, he said allegations of footballers in the Gulf nation being detained and tortured during anti-government protests was an issue for politicians, not the football association he heads.

Bahrain has been wracked by more than two years of unrest between the Sunni-led government and majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice.