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Mohamed Bin Hammam clung on to his seat on FIFA's executive committee by just two votes in Kuala Lumpur in an election, with the narrow margin exposing deep divisions within the Asian Football Confederation.
After two ballots were deemed spoiled and inadmissible, the 46 nation Asian Football Confederation Congress voted 23 votes to 21 in favour of the AFC president against his Bahraini challenger Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
A bitterly fought election campaign exposed widespread dissatisfaction with the leadership style of Bin Hammam, who came very close to being dumped from his 13-year tenure on FIFA's top body as well as the AFC presidency, which he promised to relinquish had he lost Friday's poll.
"You have really shown the world the meaning of democracy," Bin Hammam said after the result was announced. "It was really a close competition. To those who supported me, I promise I will do more than I have done," he said.
"To those who didn't support me, I promise I will do more to gain your trust and confidence."
On the day of his 60th birthday, Bin Hammam said: "The result of the election was the biggest gift today. The competition was very tough."
The voting was monitored and counted by FIFA observers, who ruled the two ballots invalid.
Shaikh Salman accepted Friday's outcome, with no dispute over the spoiled ballots, but said the narrow margin of victory put the president on notice to improve his performance. "It's a very close call in a very democratic election," Shaikh Salman said. "I accept the decision. I believe it is a very clear signal to the AFC management to listen more closely to the voices of the smaller countries.
"The voting today sends a clear message that 21 countries are not happy with the management of AFC, and this is something that needs to be looked into.
"The president must work harder to regain the trust of these 21 countries. What he should do is sit down and listen to their grouses."
Bin Hammam's win will be regarded as a major setback for FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon of South Korea, the principal backer of Shaikh Salman's election bid.
