His Excellency Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation and First Vice President of FIFA, praised the prestigious position that Japan occupies on the Asian and international football map, stressing that the Japanese experience in sponsoring football is an inspiring model for countries aspiring to keep pace with the pace of growing football development. At all levels.
This came during the official visit made by the President of the Asian Football Confederation to the Japanese capital, Tokyo, during which he met with Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, the newly elected President of the Japanese Football Association, and Mr. Kuze Tashima, a member of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Japanese Football Association family, in the presence of a number of officials in the Asian Football Confederation. .
The President of the Asian Football Confederation congratulated former Japanese national team captain Miyamoto on his election as president of the Japanese Football Association last March, saying: He has distinguished experiences that qualify him to lead the Japanese Football Association towards broad horizons of development, especially since he worked as an assistant to his predecessor, Kozo Tashima. He assumed the position of Secretary General of the Japanese Football Association, in addition to benefiting from his distinguished football career and obtaining a master’s degree from FIFA.
Sheikh Salman pointed to the recent successes achieved by the Japanese Football Association through the qualification of the men’s and women’s teams to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, indicating that these successes are the result of stability and good governance that have been effectively established over the years in the Japanese Football Association.
The President of the Asian Football Confederation also took the opportunity to praise the comprehensive efforts made by the Japanese Football Association in improving the game at the age group level, as the junior team won the AFC U-17 Cup title for the fourth time in Thailand in July 2023, while Japan won the Second place in the 2024 AFC U-20 Women’s Cup in Uzbekistan, securing its place in the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia later this year.
The President of the Asian Football Confederation stressed the key role that the Japanese Federation continues to play not only in the region but also around the world, saying: Japan has a rich experience in the football field, from beach soccer to futsal to football for adults and children in competitions. Men and women, only a few member associations have achieved such a successful record, and we see that the JFA’s success on the field is a reflection of its good management standards off the field. With the historic reforms to be introduced to club competitions, Japanese football is qualified. For more future successes at the continental and global levels.
On the other hand, the President of the Japanese Football Association, Miyamoto, welcomed the visit of His Excellency Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa to Tokyo, stressing that it reflects his continued keenness to communicate with the Asian football family, stressing the Japanese Federation’s endeavor to enhance close cooperation with the Asian Confederation to achieve common goals at all levels.
