By Paul Nicholson
September 26 – Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has confirmed that he will run for re-election at the 29th AFC Congress on 6 April 2019.
Shaikh Salman has been AFC President since 2013, initially finishing completing the term of disgraced president Mohamed Bin Hamman before being re-elected unopposed in 2015 for a full four-year term.
Announcing to the AFC’s Executive Committee meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Shaikh Salman, who has seen overseen an impressive overhaul of the AFC’s structures and operations and competitions, told committee members that he was proud of the journey that the AFC had embarked on in the last five years and that “he wanted to continue with that work.”
The recognition of the progress made by the AFC, and certainly its financial crowning glory under Shaikh Salman’s leadership, can been seen in the $3.5 billion+ commercial rights agreed with DDMC Fortis for the 2021-28 rights cycle. The new agreement will cover commercial rights for all AFC national team and club competitions, beginning with the Asian Qualification competition for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Shaikh Salman currently has only one competitor for the AFC presidency at present, former Saudi Football Federation chief Adel Ezzat. Ezzat is a relative newcomer to football administration having only been Saudi football chief since December 2016 before resigning in June to pursue his AFC ambition.
Ezzat’s reputation would so far look to be one of a “disruptor”. He was elected as the first president of the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF) this year, the new regional bloc of federations comprising 14 nations (excluding Qatar and Iran), a grouping that was promoted by the Saudis and is widely recognised as a vehicle for them to widen their political influence.
Quite how far the influence of the fledgling SWAFF extends is unclear but at this point it does not look to be extensive. AFC senior vice-president Praful Patel from India (which is a member of SWAFF), pledged his support to Shaikh Salman saying: “It has been an honour and a matter of great satisfaction to serve under your leadership. During your Presidency, we have seen the transformation of the AFC from what it was with its tarnished name and the financial issues it faced, to what we have become under your leadership.”
In a press release Shaikh Salman emphasised the importance of stability in the region and what has been achieved over the past five years through what has been an unprecedented Asian unity. “The greater good of the Asian Football Confederation and its members is a priority and we have seen the progress that we have made in the last five years. Football has shown the power to bring nations together and to do good,” he said.
“I am proud of what we have achieved in that time and I am not ready to leave this organisation into a state of chaos. We have all seen what the AFC was before, and we have seen what it looks like now and I hope that we can continue that progress.
“My intention has always been to do the best for Asia and we have seen the strides we have made in the last five years through our football and also through the record commercial rights deal and this has been because of the support and understanding we have achieved.”
The core focus of Shaikh Salman’s mission has been to raise standards across Asia and to see Asian teams competing more competitively on the global stage. There has been progress with the Japan recently winning the 2018 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup and the best performance by Asian teams at Moscow 2018 than has been seen for a number of editions.
But for Salman it is still very much seen as a work in progress. 2018 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup. “If we are to raise standards we need to invest – in facilities, competitions and personnel. Together we have achieved more in the last few years through unity and solidarity than at any stage in our history and this is something not only to be proud of but also to cherish,” he said.
The new commercial deal provides the opportunity to take a major step forward on that path.
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