KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Asian football is spearheading the recovery of the sport, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said on Wednesday.
The head of the Asian football governing body thanked its members for their commitment to charting the AFC's steadfast and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, in his remarks at the 32nd AFC Congress held virtually.
"As we take a moment to reflect, it is clear that the AFC, our members and our Regional Associations are well on the road to recovery," he said.
"Despite the Omicron variant, we ushered 2022 with confidence and we owe a great deal of gratitude to all our host Member Associations, our participating teams and clubs for showcasing great unity during our most challenging hour," he added.
Since the last Congress, the AFC has safely and successfully delivered the expanded AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022, the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar, the AFC Champions League 2021 Final and 2022 Group Stage, whilst the AFC Cup 2022 and the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022 Qualifiers are currently ongoing.
The AFC president outlined his intention to stand for re-election at the 33rd AFC Congress to be held in Bahrain on February 1 and 2, 2023.
"I hope to receive your trust and support once again for the next term as the AFC President," he said.
Among other items on the agenda, the Congress was also informed about the withdrawal of China as host of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and, due to the emergency nature of the situation, decided to provide the mandate to select an alternative host to the AFC Executive Committee (following the operation of a bidding process by the AFC Administration). Further details on the host selection process for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be communicated in due course, according to the AFC. ■
