The President of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, confirmed that the federation is continuing to implement fundamental reforms aimed at consolidating excellence and enhancing the position of Asian football on the global stage, stressing that sustainable success is only achieved by empowering national and regional federations and placing them at the heart of the federation’s work. He said during the opening of the 2025 Conference of Presidents and Secretaries of the National and Regional Member Associations of the AFC, which began yesterday in Riyadh: “Since our last conference, the AFC has made great strides in developing its competitions and its work structure, which laid the foundations for a new, brighter phase. Today we confirm our commitment to continuing this path, through initiatives that strengthen governance and support the capabilities of our partners in the member associations, because football develops.” Asia starts from its bases.”
The conference, which is hosted by the Saudi Football Federation, will be held until October 19, with the participation of an elite group of game leaders and experts on the continent and the world, with the aim of raising the standards of governance and technical management and exchanging experiences between member federations.
The opening session witnessed welcome speeches from Sheikh Salman and the President of the Saudi Federation, Yasser Al-Meshal, followed by a presentation by the AFC’s technical director, Andy Roxburgh, about “the AFC’s mission to become the world’s leading continental federation,” then an intervention from Abdulaziz Al-Afaleq, President of the Saudi Professional League, who reviewed the league’s vision and development approach. Michele Ova, Executive Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability at UEFA, also gave a presentation on the societal impact of football, while Advisor Darlene Harrison spoke about the importance of culture in consolidating the principles of sustainability within the Asian football system.
The first day concluded with a discussion session on building high-performance national federations, moderated by Anter Ishak, President of the Australian Football Association, with the participation of a group of federation leaders from Japan, the Philippines, Jordan, Uzbekistan and the Oceania Confederation.
The participants praised the positive impact of the AFC and its efforts in empowering member associations, as Tabith Awal, President of the Bangladesh Federation, stressed that continued cooperation between the federations will contribute to enhancing the status of Asian football, while Emerinciana Tolentino, Secretary-General of the Northern Mariana Islands Federation, considered the conference “a valuable opportunity to learn about the latest trends in continental and global football.”
The conference continues its activities today with the participation of Dato’ Seri Windsor John, Secretary-General of the AFC, Professor Simon Chadwick, and Ilkhan Mammadov from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in addition to a new discussion session moderated by Wahid Kurdani, Deputy Secretary-General of the AFC for Member Association Affairs.
