AFC Congress on Jan 6

HAFIZ MARIKAR

The 24th AFC Congress will be held in Doha on January 6, 2011 - one day before the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 - kicks off in the Qatari capital. Bin Hammam said holding the Congress in January would give all 46 AFC Member Associations a chance to be part of the continent's flagship tournament for national teams.

"Next year in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, we can expect to see the kind of top-quality action we see at top-level world competitions," Bin Hammam told the members.

"This is a great opportunity for us to invite all our Member Associations to be part of this great celebration. "I don't think this has happened in the past, at least since I have been President."

Election

During the 24th AFC Congress, the post of AFC President and three FIFA Executive Committee positions will come up for election. At the outset, Bin Hammam congratulated the Executive Committee upon the excellent performance of Asian teams in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

"I am sure you agree with me that Asia has shown the world what we are capable of," said Bin Hammam. "Two of our teams advanced to the Round of 16 and it was bad luck more teams couldn't progress." The Asian coaches and referees trio at the World Cup were also commended by the AFC President.

"Three out of four Asian teams were coached by Asians and they did quite well. They competed with the best coaches and proved themselves equal or better. Our referees also performed well and received praise during the World Cup." Moving to the 2022 World Cup bids, Bin Hammam sought a pledge from the bidding Asian nations.

Bidding

"We have four Asian nations bidding and three are represented in the FIFA Executive Committee. I, Dr Chung (Mong-jun), Mr Ogura (Junji) will be supporting our respective nations, Qatar, Korea Republic and Japan. "But we should promise each other that if any of our bid loses, then the support will be switched to the other bidders not only by voting but also by campaigning for each other. I think this is the one thing we owe to our continent."

The Asian members on the FIFA Executive Committee endorsed the AFC President's view and vowed to throw their full weight behind the Asian bids. The AFC Executive Committee also ratified decisions made by various AFC Standing Committees in meetings over the past week, in addition to other decisions. Among them was the formation of an AFC Coaches Committee. Also during the meeting, Iraq FA President Hussain Saeed thanked the AFC Executive Committee for its unstinted support amid tough times for the governing body.

List of candidates for AFC Congress Elections

The following will stand for elections

AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam S. Al-Abdulla (Qatar), FIFA Vice Presidents West Zone His Royal Highness Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (Jordan), East Zone Dr.Chung Mong - Joon (Korea Republic),

FIFA Executive Committee - South Central Zone Manilal Fernando (Sri Lanka), Asean Zone Worawi Kakudi (Thailand), East Zone Kohzo TaSHIMA (Japan), Shang Jilong (China)

AFC Vice Presidents - West Zone Yonsuf Yaqoob Ali Serkal (UAE)

South Central Zone Ganesh Thapa (Nepal), Paraful Patel (India), Manilal Fernando (Sri Lanka), Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat (Pakistan)

Asean Zone H.R.H. Prince Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (Malaysia)

East Zone Kohzo Tashima (Japan) Richard K. Lai (Guam) Zhang Jilong (China)

AFC Female Executive Committee Member

South Central Zone Mahfuza Akhter (Bangladesh)

AFC Executive Committee Members

West Zone H.E. Shk. Ali Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa (Bahrain) Hussein Saeed Mohammed (Iraq) Rahif Alameh (Lebanon) Dr Hafez I. Al Medlej (Saudi Arabia) Sayyid Khalid Hamed Al Busaidi (Oman)

South Central Zone Ganesh Thapa (Nepal) Praful Patel (India) Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat (Pakistan) Ali Kafashian (Iran) Sardor Rakhmatullaev (Uzbekistan) Ali Azim (Maldives) Suhrob Qosimov (Tajikistan)

Asean Zone Lee Boo Aun Winston (Singapore) Francisco Kalbuadi (Timor Leste) Tran Quoc Tuan (Vietnam) H.A.M Nurdin Halid (Indonesia) Zaw Zaw (Myanmar) Worawi Makudi (Thailand)

East Zone Ganbold Buyannemekh (Mongolia) Kohzo Tashima (Japan) Richard K. Lai (Guam) Zhang Jilong (China)

The term for all the positions is from 2011-2015.

For the AFC Congress itself, Associate Member Northern Mariana Islands FA shall not have the right to vote and hold office while the Brunei FA, which is currently suspended by FIFA, will be able to exercise their rights only if the suspension is lifted.