Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bishkek: Asian Football Confederation President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa met with the President of Kyrgyzstan, Mr Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev on Monday, in conjunction with the AFC Mini Pitch Scheme launch in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
Shaikh Salman thanked President Atambayev for the government’s support of football in the country and of the Football Federation of Kyrgyz Republic (FFKR), as well as noting the recent success of the national team.
Shaikh Salman also commented that the rapid progress in Kyrgyzstan was due to many factors, but that it was something that could not have happened without the strong backing of the government, especially in providing football infrastructure and related facilities.
He pointed out that the AFC’s development programmes, including the Mini Pitch Scheme, are another key factor behind the impressive development in the country. The AFC President said he believed this positive development would continue on the right track and that the future for the FFKR and football in Kyrgyzstan was very bright.
President Atambayev congratulated Shaikh Salman for the AFC’s groundbreaking initiative to change the format of the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup joint qualifying competition, something which now allows for more quality matches and affords teams the opportunity to play Asia’s top national sides in those fixtures.
Kyrgyzstan’s qualifying Group B features the current title-holders Australia, along with Jordan, Tajikistan and Bangladesh.