Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has expressed his confidence in the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 to deliver a true celebration of Asian football that will leave a lasting impression on the continent’s players, teams and fans.
Chairing the first AFC executive committee meeting of the 2023-27 term in Doha yesterday, Shaikh Salman praised the efforts of the LOC, ahead of the Asian Cup final draw which will be held at the Katara Opera House today.
The executive committee members were briefed about the tournament’s milestones, which include the eight confirmed world-class venues and competition dates as well as several other key operational aspects. The updates were also presented to the organising committee for the Asian Cup at its first meeting, which was chaired by acting chairperson Kohzo Tashima earlier yesterday, AFC said on its website.
The AFC president said: “For the first time in history, the tournament will be staged at Fifa World Cup stadiums, and we know that our teams and players are eager to showcase their talent in some of the world’s finest sporting arenas.”
With the anticipation building for today’s draw, the AFC president also took the opportunity to wish Asia’s 24 teams success at the tournament, to be held from January 12 to February 10 next year.
Shaikh Salman added: “Our 24 teams deserve our praise for reaching this stage of the tournament under exceptional circumstances and we wish them success ahead of the final draw tomorrow. I know our players, teams and passionate fans are waiting eagerly for this milestone event, and the AFC and LOC are ready to host the best AFC Asian Cup in history.”
The executive committee also approved the proposal to hold the AFC extraordinary congress 2023, which will be held virtually, on October 18.
The committee also agreed the list of persons to propose for election to the AFC’s judicial bodies for 2023-27. The chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of the AFC disciplinary and ethics committee, the AFC appeal committee and the AFC entry control body will be elected at the upcoming extraordinary congress.
The AFC annual awards will make a return on October 31 in Doha later this year. The executive committee agreed that the hosting rights would remain with the Qatar Football Association who were originally scheduled to stage the prestigious event in 2020 before it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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