December 22 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced it will establish a new Reform Taskforce to continue and build on the reforms of 2016.
Chief among the governance reforms in 2016 were the introduction of an AFC whistleblower policy; policies and procedures against bribery and corruption; and a commercial strategy paper for future rights sales that led to its current ground breaking commercial activity.
AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: ““When the AFC Governance Reform Task Force introduced its full range of reforms in 2016, the AFC had raised its governance standards to firmly establish itself as a model Confederation. Back then, we took great pride in introducing several reforms which were eventually implemented by FIFA.
“With the establishment of the AFC Reform Taskforce, we want to ensure that the AFC remains at the forefront of implementing the best governance practices, and it is worth reminding everyone as we embark on this process that we must always strive to strengthen our great game for our future generations.”
Those platforms gave the AFC the boost for significant growth across all its activities and helped empower its member associations regionally.
AFC member associations are now firmly part of the global football eco-system, regularly hosting world championships, and most notably hosting the biggest prizes in world football – two men’s World Cups (2022 and 2034) and Women’s World Cup (2023).
The AFC executive committee, was meeting in Saudi Arabia in advance of the Club World Cup final in Jeddah.
“This is the first time the AFC Executive Committee is meeting in Saudi Arabia, and I would like to convey our appreciation to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation for being such gracious hosts. We must also commend FIFA, the Saudi Arabian authorities, and the Local Organising Committee for hosting a truly memorable FIFA Club World Cup,” said Salman.
“At the same time, Saudi Arabia has quickly become the focal point of global football and we applaud the world-class efforts of the SAFF. The AFC stands ever ready to assist them in their resolute aspirations to further develop the beautiful game across all levels.”
The executive committee also received a briefing on the situation Palestine from the Palestine Football Association’s (PFA) Susan Shalabi, who shared insights into the difficulties and hardships endured by the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, due to the ongoing conflict. The committee members unanimously gave their strong support and expressed solidarity with the PFA and the Palestinian people, with Salman reiterating the AFC’s commitment to standing by the PFA during these challenging times.
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