KUALA LUMPUR: The 29th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday April 6, where the AFC Member Associations will elect the following positions for the next four-year term (2019-2023):
  • AFC President and FIFA Vice-President;
  • Six FIFA Council Members, one of whom shall also be a Female Executive Committee member;
  • Five AFC Vice-Presidents;
  • AFC Female Executive Committee Members, one of whom shall also be a FIFA Council member; and
  • A further nine AFC Executive Committee members.

The Congress will see incumbent President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (Bahrain) run unopposed for the position of AFC President and FIFA Vice-President for a second term following the withdrawal of HE Mohamed Khalfan Matar Saeed Al Romaithi (UAE) and Mr. Saoud A. Aziz M A Al-Mohannadi (Qatar).

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura are expected to join all the AFC Member Associations in the Malaysian capital.

The candidates submitted their applications for election in line with Articles 32 and 38 of the AFC Statutes (Edition 2018) and within the deadline set. All applications were submitted as per the requirements set out in the AFC Statutes (Edition 2018) and the AFC Electoral Code (Edition 2019).

The AFC Electoral Committee carried out eligibility checks on the candidates running for the AFC positions and the FIFA Review Committee conducted eligibility checks on candidates running for FIFA Council positions.

The voting procedure for the 29th AFC Congress is accessible here. Following the withdrawal from some candidates from some positions and some from the election altogether, the final list of candidates is as follows:

AFC President and FIFA Vice President

  • H.E. Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (Bahrain)

FIFA Council

  • H.E Du Zhaocai (China PR);
  • Mr. Praful Patel (India);
  • Mr. Mehdi Taj (Islamic Republic of Iran);
  • Mr. Kohzo Tashima (Japan);
  • Mr Chung Mong Gyu (Korea Republic);
  • Mr. Mariano V. Araneta, Jr. (Philippines);
  • Mr. Saoud A. Aziz M A Al-Mohannadi (Qatar);
  • Mr. Khalid Awad A. Althebity (Saudi Arabia).

AFC Vice Presidents:

West Zone

  • Mr. Saoud A. Aziz M A Al-Mohannadi (Qatar).

Central Zone:

  • Mr. Mehdi Taj (Islamic Republic of Iran).

South Zone:

  • Mr. Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat (Pakistan).

ASEAN Zone:

  • Mr. Zaw Zaw (Myanmar);
  • Dr. Tran Quoc Tuan (Vietnam).

East Zone:

  • H.E. Du Zhaocai (China PR);
  • Mr Chung Mong Gyu (Korea Republic);
  • Mr Ganbaatar Amgalanbaatar (Mongolia).

Female representatives on FIFA Council and AFC Executive Committee:

West Zone

  • Ms. Susan R. A. Alshalabi (Palestine).

South Zone

  • Ms. Mahfuza Akhter Kiron (Bangladesh);
  • Ms. Mariyam Mohamed (Maldives).

ASEAN Zone

  • Ms. Kanya Keomany (Laos).

East Zone

  • Ms. Han Un Gyong (DPR Korea).

AFC Executive Committee

West Zone

  • Mr. Abed-Alkhaliq Masoud Ahmed (Iraq);
  • Mr. Hachem Haider (Lebanon);
  • Mr. Sheikh Salem Said Salem Al Wahaibi (Oman);
  • H.E. Eng. Marwan Bin Ghalita (United Arab Emirates);
  • Dr Hamid Mohammed Ali Al-Shaibani (Yemen).

Central Zone

  • Mr. Sayed Ali Reza Aghazada (Afghanistan).

South Zone

  • Mr. Dasho Ugen Tsechup Dorji (Bhutan);
  • Mr. Anura Calixtus De Silva (Sri Lanka).

ASEAN Zone

  • Mr. Chris Nikou (Australia);
  • Dato’ Haji Hamidin Bin Haji Mohd Amin (Malaysia);
  • Mr. Lee Boon Aun Winston (Singapore);
  • Dr. Tran Quoc Tuan (Vietnam).

East Zone

  • Mr Fok Kai Shan Eric (Hong Kong);
  • Mr. Kohzo Tashima (Japan);
  • Mr. Chung Mong Gyu (Korea Republic);
  • Mr Ganbaatar Amgalanbaatar (Mongolia).

Besides the elections, delegates will also receive an overview of the key milestones and the numerous efforts being undertaken to lift the standards of football throughout the Continent in the past year. For the main items on the agenda, please click here.

You can live stream the 29th AFC Congress 2019 from 10:00am (Kuala Lumpur time) on April 6, 2019 by clicking here.