Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
Related Articles
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John met with some of the Continent’s most renowned head coaches at the sidelines of the official draw ceremonies of the Preliminary Joint Qualifier Round 1 and Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, which was held at the AFC House on Thursday.
Amongst the luminary head coaches were China PR’s technician Aleksandar Jankovic, Malaysia’s Korea Republic tactician Kim Pan Gon, as well as AFC Asian Cup™ Lebanon 2000 title-winning coach Philippe Troussier who was recently appointed to lead Vietnam. The Socceroos’ all-time men’s leading scorer Tim Cahill, who clinched the AFC Asian Cup title with Australia on home soil in 2015, was also in attendance.
The head coaches briefly shared their preparation plans ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, which will kick off on January 12, 2024, and at the same time, outlined their confidence in leading their teams to successful campaigns ahead of the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.
Former Red Star Belgrade coach Jankovic will set his sights on a strong start as China PR prepare for their Group A opener against the tournament’s only debutants Tajikistan on January 13.
Meanwhile, Troussier has the formidable task of priming Vietnam for what promises to be an epic battle against his former side Japan in Group D on January 14, whilst Kim will be leading Malaysia’s 17-year return to the competition against Group E opponents Jordan the next day.
The AFC General Secretary expressed his admiration for their work in the lead-up to both the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ and the upcoming qualifiers. He also conveyed his gratitude to the head coaches for their contributions to Asian football and wished them the very best of success in their quest for glory with their respective teams.
At the same time, with a record eight and a half slots allocated to Asia ahead of the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 Canada, Mexico, USA, the AFC General Secretary also reiterated his confidence that the qualifiers will provide an unrivalled stage and pave the way for more historic achievements by the Continent’s teams.
