DILI (5 April 2012) – Under the chairmanship of HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, FIFA Vice President- Asia, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s Social Responsibility Committee will host the 3rd Committee Meeting in Abu Dhabi this week, in conjunction with the AFC Dream Asia Cerebral Palsy Tournament.
Committee members will evaluate the progress of current social responsibility programs at AFC and review ideas for the way forward as discussed at the Interactive Session held in Amman earlier this year.
The Committee meeting will include Dr. Kwak Chung Hwan, Advisor to the Committee, committee members; Mr. Mohamed Al Hameli (UAE), Mr. Ar Khaleel (India), Mr. Essa Al Mannai (Qatar) and Ms. Yumi Tomei (Japan) as well as members of AFC’s Social Responsibility Department.
Mr. Ingill Ra, Director of the Social Responsibility Department at the AFC noted that “this is the first SRC Official Meeting that HRH Prince Ali will be chairing,” adding that the SRC will “discuss a proposal for a 10 year AFC Social Responsibility strategy.”
Prince Ali is also due to attend “Arab Orphans Day” held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahayan Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Head of Abu Dhabi Police on the sideline of the tournament. The FIFA Vice President will also visit the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent at their headquarters prior to the committee meeting for a brief overview of their work in sports.
“The United Arab Emirates sets a leading example in its proactive civil society and I truly look forward to learning from their experience and knowledge in this area,” commented Prince Ali.
The AFC Dream Asia Cerebral Palsy Tournament kicked off on 1 April 2012 and concludes on 6 April 2012. Held under the Dream Asia initiative, which uses football for positive and social change, the tournament includes players from Australia, Iran, Jordan, Korea, Singapore and UAE. The CP tournament aims to promote it’s “Football for All” message by encouraging local communities to play the game regardless of their level of ability.
Singapore, Jordan and the host UAE are participating for the first time in a competition of this type.
“I am very proud of the noble work AFC is undertaking in its Dream Asia program, notably this tournament in Abu Dhabi,” said Prince Ali. “Football is indeed for all and we all have a responsibility in the football family to highlight this message not only in words but also in deeds,” he added.
Prince Ali is also expected to attend one of the matches prior to the conclusion of the tournament.
