Former Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam has failed in an attempt to get the Court of Arbitration for Sport to block the appointment of his replacement.
Zhang Jilong was named as the AFC's acting president following Bin Hammam's ban from football.
"On September 30, 2011, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne (Switzerland) rejected an appeal on provisional measures filed by Mohamed Bin Hammam on 19 August 2011 against the Asian Football Confederation," an AFC statement read.
"Mr Bin Hammam requested the CAS to annul the AFC executive committee's decision and recognise only himself (Bin Hammam) as the AFC president and representative on the Fifa executive committee."
Bin Hammam was banned from football after a committee ruled he gave cash gifts to officials from the Caribbean Football Union in a bid to boost his FIFA presidential campaign.