Yangon: Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, made his first trip to Myanmar this weekend to visit Zaw Zaw, President of the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF), in the capital, Yangon.
Shaikh Salman told the President and members of the MFF that the AFC is committed to building strong ties with its members under the banner of One Asia, One Goal. Shaikh Salman added that the strength of the AFC comes through the unity of its members.
Since becoming MFF President in 2005, Zaw Zaw has overseen a change in the country’s football fortunes to the point where they qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in New Zealand in 2015 – their debut in a FIFA competition. They were also winners of the AFC Dream Asia Award in 2013 for outstanding contributions to social responsibility programmes.
Shaikh Salman congratulated the MFF on their progress saying: “The increased investment in infrastructure and young players – for both boys and girls – at the grassroots level has produced some exciting results for the Myanmar teams.
“It is clear from Myanmar’s progress that this approach is working and Myanmar are now one of the emerging teams in the ASEAN region – both in the men’s and women’s game. They have also demonstrated a willingness to host both AFC and regional competitions and this experience has further developed the game in the country.
“This outstanding progress has to be the product of a Member Association which has the combination of a clear vision and a strong leadership. The MFF President has demonstrated during the many years that he has been involved in the game that he is determined to increase both participation and the quality of football in Myanmar. His hands-on approach achieved just that.”
Zaw Zaw, the MFF President, thanked the AFC President for his visit to Myanmar and added: “I can pledge Myanmar’s support for the vision that Shaikh Salman outlined for unity and solidarity among the Member Associations of the AFC.”
The AFC President and AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John also visited the Yankin Children’s Hospital in Yangon, which is supported by Zaw Zaw’s Ayeyarwaddy Foundation.
Source: The Ghana Soccernet
