Holding banners proclaiming "FIFA Will Be Safe With Salman" and "Support The Clean Man" they said Sheikh Salman was the right man to lead the troubled governing body into a new era following the end of Sepp Blatter's near 18-year reign.
Human rights groups have accused him of heading a committee that identified athletes, including international Bahraini footballers, involved in the Arab Spring demonstrations in 2011, many of whom were later imprisoned. He has vehemently denied involvement in any wrongdoing.
"Everyone has a different perspective of what happened, but we feel he is a clean man and he can make a difference for FIFA," one of the crowd, 25-year-old businessman Mohamed Al Shaman, told Reuters.
Salman, 50, president of the Asian Football Confederation, faces Swiss Gianni Infantino, Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Frenchman Jerome Champagne and South African Tokyo Sexwale in the vote.
(Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Alison Williams)
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