Seoul: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today showcased another stellar cast of experts and industry leaders at the landmark AFC Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs) Presidents’ and General Secretaries’ Conference 2024 here in Seoul, Korea Republic.
The three-day Conference, themed “Building and Leading Great Organisations”, hosted by the Korea Football Association, brings together MA and RA Presidents and their General Secretaries to further drive Asian football, enabling the AFC to continue making inroads into achieving its Vision and Mission of becoming a leading Confederation.
The 2024 event, similar to the groundbreaking inaugural Conference in 2023, features influential figures in global football leadership presenting their insights and opinions to hundreds of participants. Additionally, this year’s edition will have in attendance luminaries such as the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The second day of the Conference commenced with a presentation on building and leading high-performance organisations through change by Frederic Guillemont, Chief Operating Officer of the Oceania Football Confederation. He was followed by Football Australia President Anter Isaac who shared his perspective as a football leader on enhancing performance on and off the field.
The programme continued with a presentation on Saudi Arabia’s FIFA World Cup 2034 Bid by Saudi Arabian Football Federation General Secretary, Ibrahim S. Alkassim.
FIFA Council Member and Romanian Football Federation President Răzvan Burleanu followed suit with his thoughts on why an entrepreneurial approach to football management can prove to be a game-changer for innovative organisations.
Emily Shaw, UEFA’s Head of Executive Office & International Relations concluded the day with an informative talk on the transformation of the European governing body in the 1990s by former General Secretary and Chief Executive Gerhard Aigner, as well as UEFA's ongoing efforts to build upon the foundation he established.
Ms. Sun Wen, Vice President of the Chinese Football Association, said: This Conference shows the AFC’s commitment to ensuring the MAs and RAs develop to reach their full potential, and by doing so, take the Asian game to greater heights.”
Mohammed Hazzam Al Dhaheri, General Secretary of the United Arab Emirates Football Association shared similar sentiments: “This is a golden opportunity as I’m able to gain insights and knowledge from such an experienced, diverse and respected line-up of speakers. The Conference has been an eye-opener, and I can’t wait to put into practice some of the things I’ve learned.”
The final day of the Conference tomorrow will feature a presentation by Haroon Ahmed Malik, the Normalisation Committee Chairperson of the Pakistan Football Federation, and a panel discussion based on the overall event theme moderated by Alex Phillips, the Administrator of the World Football Remission Fund.