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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa concluded his visit to Seoul, Korea Republic, today where he held several high-level meetings with the nation’s top officials, including the Korea Republic Prime Minister Han Duck Soo as well as Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong Gyu.
The AFC President underlined the strong sense of partnership between the AFC and the KFA and applauded the pivotal role of the Association in elevating the standards of Asian football over the years, exemplified by the ever-expanding list of triumphs achieved by the KFA and its national teams and clubs across all levels.
Following their commendable run to the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the Taeguk Warriors are on track to qualify for the 2026 edition as they remain top of Group C in the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ after the latest round of matches in March. Korea Republic also achieved a Semi-final finish at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, while clinching a gold medal at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in China PR last October.
Meanwhile, the Taeguk Ladies performed commendably at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 last June, before reaching the Quarter-finals at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. Additionally, the young Taeguk Ladies clinched fourth place at the recent AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2024, which guaranteed a seventh appearance at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia later this year.
Shaikh Salman said: “The Korea Football Association, under the leadership of President Chung Mong Gyu, has continued to build on the solid foundations, enabling football in Korea Republic to maintain its ascendancy, not just in Asia but across the global game.”
“The AFC has outlined its Vision and Mission of being a model Confederation and ensuring our teams succeed on the world stage, and the KFA’s achievements are testament to the efforts of the Asian football family in achieving our bold and collective ambitions.”
The AFC President also highlighted the remarkable progress of the K League, which marked its 40th anniversary last year. In addition to serving as a transformative pathway for the nation’s budding talent, the K League has also played an essential role in raising the capability and capacity of football administrators through its bespoke Academy.
Further underlining its dominance, no league in Asia has produced more AFC Champions League™ title winners than clubs from the K League, who have amassed an astonishing 12 crowns, which include three sides featuring in this season’s Group Stage – Pohang Steelers, Ulsan Hyundai FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC alongside 2023/24 newcomers Incheon United FC.
At the same time, the K League was one of the first leagues in Asia to introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which marked its full debut in the AFC Champions League™ last year.
Additionally, during the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2023 – Invitational Tournament, Hyundai Steel Red Angels emerged as winners of their group.
The AFC President said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I must congratulate the KFA and the K League on celebrating over 40 years of league excellence and outstanding progress.”
“We have every faith that clubs from the Korea Republic will continue to showcase their prowess particularly as the AFC transitions to the new club competition structure from the 2024/25 season.”
Shaikh Salman also visited the ongoing construction site of the Korean National Football Centre (NFC) in Cheonan city and was pleased to note its progress. Due to be completed in 2025, it will serve as the nation’s second epicentre of developing future icons in both the men’s and women’s game.
Also in the pipeline are plans to establish a Football History Museum, which will chronicle and display the nation’s rich footballing history that has produced global legends such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Park Ji-sung and Cha Bum-kun.
KFA President Chung expressed his gratitude to the AFC President for his personal support in developing the game in the country and, at the same time, underlined his confidence in further deepening the spirit of cooperation between the AFC and the Korea Republic football family.
