AFC President lauds Saudi football achievements

Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 27 (BNA): The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President today received the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Association (SAFF) President Yasser Almisehal and SAFF General Secretary Ibrahim Al Kassim in the capital of Malaysia and held fruitful talks. Shaikh Salman congratulated the SAFF President on Saudi Arabia's momentous triumph in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022 in Uzbekistan, as well as their futsal team's commendable performance in the recently concluded AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022 . The AFC President applauded the fact that Al Hilal SFC are the reigning AFC Champions League holders with a record-breaking fourth Continental title lifted in front of their home fans in 2021 with the Riyadh giants poised to participate in the 2022 edition's Round of 16 next year alongside fellow Saudi League clubs Al Shabab and Al Faisaly. "Saudi Arabian teams have been flying high their country's flag in all AFC competitions and their accomplishments are a direct outcome of the quality of leadership they have in the SAFF President," said Shaikh Salman. "SAFF is completely dedicated to raising the standards of football not only in Saudi Arabia but through their competition across Asia," continued the AFC President, who also wished his counterpart luck for their upcoming FIFA World Cup campaign. Emphasising SAFF's close relationship with the AFC, Shaikh Salman welcomed their commitment to further enhance the twin ideals of unity and solidarity upon which the AFC unfailingly engages with its Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs). The AFC President noted that the exemplary showcase of this unity was underlined when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia staged the AFC MAs and RAs General Secretaries’ Conference 2022 earlier this year. In turn, the SAFF President expressed his sincere appreciation for the AFC's innovative programmes and outreach efforts with its MAs and RAs, and hailed Shaikh Salman's pivotal role as the AFC President in spearheading such close engagement with the vision of taking football to new heights in the Continent.