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Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa today received the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) President Adnan Derjal at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
President Derjal was joined by his second Vice-President and Iraqi football legend Younis Mahmood Khalaf and the IFA General Secretary Mohammed Farhan Obaid on the courtesy visit, which also included a tour of the AFC House.
Shaikh Salman discussed matters of Iraqi football development with the IFA President while noting the rapid strides of the Iraqi teams, from the age-groups to the national side Lions of Mesopotamia as they are popularly known.
“Iraqi football has a long and glorious history and it was a pleasure to hear from the IFA President about the future plans to continue this journey,” said the AFC President.
“The AFC stands ever-ready to assist the IFA in all aspects of the game,” added Shaikh Salman, who briefed his counterpart about the wide range of activities, programmes and competitions organised by the AFC.”
In 2007, Iraq – led by none other than Younis Mahmood – won the AFC Asian Cup™ in what has since gone down in sporting folklore as one of the most momentous triumphs in the face of great odds, bringing together a fractured country, symbolising yet again the unique power of football as a tool to build inclusive societies.
The Lions of Mesopotamia have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2023™ finals and will be looking to better their 2019 Round of 16 performance.
And, in recent years, Iraqi clubs have proven to be powerhouses in the AFC Champions League™ and AFC Cup™, consistently putting in admirable performances at the upper end of Continental club football.
“This is my first visit to the AFC House, the Home of Asian Football, and I am honoured to be here with my team from the IFA at the operations epicentre of Asian football,” said the IFA President.
President Derjal added: “The AFC offers so many programmes for the benefit of the Member Associations and the IFA itself is a beneficiary of this outreach. We are committed to working closely with the AFC to make the most of such offerings and guidance.
“I would like to thank the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa for rolling out a range of programmes, from technical to refereeing to development funding, for the Member Associations.”
