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Ad-hoc committees brainstorm on way ahead

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Published on Thursday, 16 June 2011 16:20

Kuala Lumpur: Members of three ad-hoc committees responsible for the professionalisation of Asian football brainstormed at the AFC headquarters on Thursday to discuss the way ahead for the continental game.

The AFC Ad-hoc Committees for Professional Clubs, Professional Leagues and Member Associations met for the first time for the term 2011-2015 and discussed issues related to the AFC Club Licensing System, criteria of the AFC Champions League, and attendances in the domestic leagues and continental club competitions.

Japan’s Captain Saburo Kawabuchi is the Coordination Chairman of all the three committees. The AFC Ad-hoc Committee for Professional Clubs was chaired by Japan’s Kikuo Kanamori, while the AFC Ad-hoc Committee for Professional Leagues met under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Nowaiser. The chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee for Member Associations is Mohammad Al Romaithi, who however was absent.

At the outset, AFC Senior Vice-President Zhang Jilong asked the members of these committees to share their experiences to help Asian football move forward.

“Football is the most popular sport not only in Asia but also in the world. All of you are professionals and experts in organisation of professional football, which is important for development of Asian football,” he said.

“The purpose of these meetings is to work hand-in-hand to bring the standard of Asian football at par with the best in the world. It’s high time for us to move forward with the help of your experience,” he told the members.

The discussions of the three committees are expected to lead to decisions on Friday in the Joint Meeting for Professional Football.