August 24 – The AFC, through its Professional Football Task Force, is taking key steps towards the confederation’s objective of establishing a sustainable blueprint aimed at elevating the professional standards of Asian club football.
July 24 – Former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo, now the Saudi Pro League’s director of football, has spoken of his new role leading the country’s Player Acquisition Centre of Excellence (PACE).
July 7 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Medical Committee has appointed Malaysia as the host for its 8thmedical conference to be held in 2025, July 21 to 25.
July 5 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has set up an AFC Elite Video Match Officials Panel to evaluate Video Match Officials (VMOs) prior to appointment to major competitions.
June 8 – The Saudi Arabian FA has continued to gather co-operation agreements with African nations with the signing of a pact with the Somali FA to help Somalia develop grassroots and youth football.
May 17 – India’s U-17 national team has started a 15-day training camp in Germany arrives as part of their preparations for the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup to be held in Thailand later this year.
May 15 – A total of 39 member associations committed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s Grassroots Football Day, taking place today (May 15).
February 7: Criticism of FIFA’s proposed sponsorship deal for the 2023 Women’s World Cup with the Saudi Arabia tourist board has been loud, but domestically the Saudi’s look to be making all the right moves to provide more opportunity for women in football.
December 4 – The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has expanded its player development activity outside the country with the set up of a permanent training centre in Santo Domingo, Madrid, for its men’s and women’s teams.
July 26 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has boosted its management education for members as it launches its second and third editions of the Football Administration Certificate (FAC) programme for member associations.
July 10 – India may be taking the lead over its neighbours in terms of big tournament organisation with the FIFA U-17 World Cup this October, but the Asian Football Confederation is rolling out its development programmes throughout the region with the Bangladesh Football Federation’s AFC Grassoots Football Day being reported as a resounding success.
July 6 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) brought its top leagues together earlier this week for a forum that put financial stability at the top of the agenda. The meeting was organised as part of the AFC League Development Programme.
By Paul Nicholson
May 31 – The strength of football in Iran was out evident again at the weekend when the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) held its second Islamic Republic of Iran National Grassroots Conference in conjunction with the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Grassroots Football Day with more than 600 grassroots coaches and managers from across the country present.
May 10 – Two of FIFA’s six confederations, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, have strengthened their collaboration by signing a fresh Memorandum of Understanding “to encourage knowledge, exchange and to enhance football development in the respective territories.”
April 21 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is to set up a Referee Academy based at AFC headquarters in Kula Lumpur, aimed at increasing the number of AFC referees at world class level within the region and improving standards across the region.
