Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The FIFA/AFC/OFC Conference for National Coaches and Technical Directors – 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil began in the Malaysian capital city on Wednesday.
The three-day conference is designed to provide those participating with an opportunity to analyse the key characteristics of the 2014 World Cup campaign from both the technical and tactical points of view. It will also highlight the current trends in world football.
AFC Vice-President and Football Association of Malaysia President His Royal Highness Tengku Abdullah Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah officially opened the conference.
“As a special welcome, please accept my warm wishes of a uniquely Malaysian Selamat Datang (welcome), and on behalf of the President of the AFC, Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, greetings to all our foreign guests, speakers and delegates,” he said.
“As a fan of football, Brazil was truly a spectacle in that the matches played from the first kick-off until the very final whistle exemplified the beautiful game that we are so passionate about. The organisation of the competition itself was terrific; great credit should go to FIFA for presenting football to the world in such a magnificent way.”
HRH Tengku Abdullah added that Asia has the strength, character and resolve to garner further success on the global stage despite the continent’s performance at the World Cup.
“Despite our performance in Brazil, Asian nations actually have the resolve to be successful in football,” he said. “Take the example of Palestine, of whichI believe we all know the story.
“Even in the most difficult of circumstances, to come out strong as a unit and be successful is highly commendable. They will now take part in the AFC Asian Cup next year after winning the AFC Challenge Cup 2014, thanks in large part to their ability and willpower.
“These are the characteristics that we have in Asia. Asia is actually in a position of strength and we indeed have that belief in our hearts and minds.”
HRH Tengku Abdullah also expressed his hope that the conference will be a productive one for the continent in general and the AFC Member Associations in particular, and that the game in Asia will subsequently be spurred on to even greater heights.
“This conference provides us with the opportunity to truly understand the development that goes on in world football in the key areas of coaching, football medicine and refereeing,” he said. “Given that the World Cup is football’s grand exhibition, pitting the best players, coaches, and teams against one another, we can genuinely learn a lot from this prestigious competition.
“It is my hope that this conference provides each of us with the impetus to elevate the performances of Asian teams at the world level. I am confident that together, we will be spurred on to drive football in this continent to even greater heights."
Meanwhile, FIFA Director of Member Associations and Development Thierry Regenass expressed his admiration for the efforts made by the AFC to improve the Asian game, while commending the Asian nations who will represent the continent in upcoming FIFA competitions.
“At the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015 in New Zealand, Asia will be represented by Qatar, Uzbekistan DPR Korea and Myanmar. This is a first for Myanmar and they should be commended for their effort.
“Syria (along with DPR Korea, Korea Republic and Australia) have also qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015 which will be held in Chile. This is a great evolution for both Asia and the newcomers to our tournaments.
“We at FIFA can see that the AFC is working very hard to improve the Asian game.”