AFC President evaluates successes, FIFA sends congratulations
Opening the congress, AFC President Shaikh Salman extended the condolences of the Asian football family to the communities affected by the ongoing conflict in Palestine, as well as to the victims in Myanmar and Thailand following the devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.
At the same time, the AFC Congress observed a minute of silence, paying tribute to the victims as well as the officials, supervisors and referees of Asia who have died in the past year. Mr. Shaikh Salman expressed: “The Asian football community would like to send our deepest prayers and condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones and homes, and we hope that all those affected will find strength and comfort in the kindness of others to overcome this difficult period.”
The Congress observed a minute of silence to express condolences to the victims as well as to the officials, supervisors and referees of Asia who died in the past year.
PHOTO: VFF
Looking back at a period of remarkable development since the previous Congress, the AFC President highlighted the increased financial investment by the Asian Confederation in its Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs). The AFC Congress also approved the 2025 and 2026 budgets, along with the audited financial statements for 2024, which recorded a 63.9% increase in the total confederation investment expenditure to reach USD 303 million in 2024.
AFC President Shaikh Salman said: “The reforms to the competition system, including the men’s and women’s club competitions, are central to the AFC’s ambitions as reflected in the AFC’s vision and mission, and I am delighted to see that the foundations for Asian football to reach new heights are stronger than ever. We can be proud of what we have achieved and the significant progress that has been made is largely due to the unity of the Asian football family in leading the reform agenda and providing the AFC’s support to all members at all levels.”
“The AFC has reinforced its commitment to growing the game across the continent by investing more in establishing more dedicated support and comprehensive development programmes for its Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs). These are exciting times for Asian football, and the years ahead will continue to be our shared journey as we work together to achieve unprecedented success, achieve unprecedented success, and establish the AFC as one of the world’s leading confederations,” the AFC President added.
The 35th AFC Congress reviewed the achievements of Asian football. At the same time, the AFC also set new goals for development.
PHOTO: VFF
During the congress, the AFC President also congratulated the Japanese and Iranian teams on their early qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He also extended his best wishes to AFC representatives who will participate in upcoming FIFA tournaments, including the FIFA Club World Cup in June. The AFC President also expressed his confidence in the organizational capacity of the Football Federation Australia and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation – the two hosts of the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027.
The AFC also showed its ambition for the future by revealing the possibility of considering submitting bids for both the 2031 and 2035 AFC Asian Cups at the same Congress, as part of a long-term strategy to improve planning for Asian football. In the coming time, the AFC will coordinate with the registered Member Associations to complete the bid documents in accordance with the set schedule and procedures. The AFC will then conduct a comprehensive assessment of the bids before the host country for the 24-team tournament is selected by the AFC Congress in 2026.
Notably, FIFA President Infantino also attended the Congress. However, instead of being present in person, he met with members of Asian football via online format. The FIFA chief highly appreciated the achievements of Asian football and he also sent his congratulations to the 35th AFC Congress.
Vietnam and China football agree to strengthen cooperation
At the Congress, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan attended as a member of the AFC Standing Committee and Head of the AFC Competitions Committee. In addition, the Vietnamese delegation also included VFF Vice President Nguyen Xuan Vu, Vice President Nguyen Trung Kien and VFF Deputy General Secretary Nguyen Thanh Ha. Notably, at the Congress, Deputy General Secretary Nguyen Thanh Ha was elected as a member of the AFC's 35th Congress Minutes Inspection Committee.
VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan (2nd from left) and the delegation with FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström (middle)
PHOTO: VFF
VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan (second from left) and the delegation with AFC General Secretary Datuk Windsor John. Deputy General Secretary Nguyen Thanh Ha (right cover) was elected as a member of the AFC 35th Congress Minutes Inspection Committee.
PHOTO: VFF
On the sidelines of the AFC Congress, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan and Chinese Football Association (CFA) President Song Kai discussed and agreed to sign a cooperation agreement (MoU) to strengthen cooperation and promote development between the two football teams. In 2024, CFA invited Vietnamese teams (national women's team, national women's futsal team, national U.21 team, national U.19 team and national U.16 team) to compete in international friendly tournaments with high-quality guests. In preparation for the 2027 AFC U-17 qualifiers, CFA sent an official invitation to Vietnam U.16 to participate in a friendly tournament before the event.
Delegation of Vietnam Football Federation and delegation of China Football Federation
PHOTO: VFF
Currently, VFF has signed cooperation agreements with the Japan Football Federation, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Korea, Brazil... and soon with China. Strengthening international cooperation with federations with strong football development will create more favorable conditions to help Vietnamese football continue to move forward with more success in the future.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/afc-chi-khoan-khung-303-trieu-usd-cho-bong-da-chau-a-vff-co-dong-thai-dac-biet-185250412203612421.htm
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