His Royal Highness Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, attended a meeting of presidents and general secretaries of national and regional football associations affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), held on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan.
اضافة اعلان
The event is being held in Japan for the first time, providing an important platform for AFC members to strengthen leadership capabilities, raise governance standards and exchange best practices, contributing to the continued development of Asian football.
Prince Ali is widely respected and highly regarded in global football circles, particularly within the AFC, for his experience and continued contribution to the game.
The opening day of the 2026 edition brought together 120 leading decision-makers in Asian football. Participants heard insights and ideas from three experts before taking part in an extended discussion session.
Farah Al-Badarneh, acting secretary general of the Jordan Football Association, who participated as part of the Jordanian delegation, said: “The dialogue session clearly demonstrated that, despite the different contexts and backgrounds of our national member associations, we share many of the same challenges and ambitions. The opportunity to exchange experiences and learn from fellow leaders across Asia is one of the conference’s greatest strengths. It also provides an important platform for strengthening football across the continent.”
Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto welcomed the participating delegations, saying: “Seeing football from different roles and positions has made me realize that progress comes not only from our own efforts, but also from the people we meet, the experiences we share and the lessons we learn from one another along the way.”
This was followed by an address by Datuk Seri Windsor John, AFC general secretary, who emphasized the vital role played by national and regional member associations in advancing Asian football.
“Since the first edition of this conference in 2023, it has evolved into a gathering that continues to develop and improve with each edition. Over the past year, the AFC has continued to reach new milestones. We saw a record nine AFC representatives participate in the 2026 World Cup, while the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup was held in Australia in a historic edition. At club level, our men’s and women’s competitions continue to set new standards of excellence,” he said.
Jennifer Mellors, client partner and director of integrity solutions at Sportradar, addressed innovation in football, explaining how match-fixing has become more adaptive, more fragmented and harder to attribute. She also highlighted how technological advances are improving the ability to detect suspicious activities on a large scale.
The meeting also featured a special panel discussion on leadership in football, moderated by AFC Deputy General Secretary for Member Associations Vahid Kardani.
Titled “Beyond the Badge: What Leadership in Asian Football Demands Today,” the session brought together five prominent figures representing the AFC’s five regions: Australian Football Association President Anter Isaac, Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Uzbekistan Football Association First Vice President Ravshan Irmatov, Sri Lanka Football Association President U. L. Jaswar, and FIFA Council member Yasser Al-Misehal.
Participants exchanged insights on leadership, governance, opportunities and challenges in today’s rapidly evolving football landscape.
Source: Al-Ghad.
