DILI (28 Sept 2015) – Two key recommendations relating to Asia’s burgeoning brands of Futsal and Beach Soccer were made during the inaugural meeting of the Asian Football Confederation’s Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee on Friday.
Chairman Ali Kafashian Naeini (Iran), who urged those attending to help build on the huge strides being made by both Futsal and Beach Soccer throughout Asia, opened the high level gathering at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur with Deputy Chairman Hachem Sayed Ali Haidar (Lebanon) as well as Members Ali Ahmed Al Buainain (Bahrain), Eric Fok Kai-Shan (Hong Kong), Adel K. Alwan Al Yasiri (Iraq), Benjamin Chio (Macau) and Bassam Adeel Jaleel (Maldives) in attendance.
In its first business of the day, the Committee, eager to provide a fairer platform for all Member Associations (MAs), recommended changing the qualification process for future AFC Futsal Championships.
Following next year’s continental gathering in Uzbekistan, the Committee proposed that only the host MA will qualify automatically, a change from the current system which sees the hosts as well as the top three sides – top four if one of the elite trio is to stage the Championship – from the tournament’s previous edition guaranteed a spot in the finals.
The Committee then recommended that the first ever AFC Youth Futsal Championship, which is to be staged for the first time in 2017, should be organised for the U-20 age group – a move which is line with other confederations.
Both recommendations will be presented to the AFC’s Executive Committee at its next meeting on November 27 in New Delhi, India.
The Committee meeting concluded with an agreement that the AFC should hold a review after the on-going AFC Women’s Futsal Championship to ascertain whether or not the event should be held every two years instead its current four-year cycle.
