The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is set for the re-launch of the AFC Champions League by the end of 2008, following a seminar for General Managers of Asian football.
The seminar, which took place on October 28 – 29 in Kuala Lumpur, aimed to provide the necessary information and knowledge needed for professional club management and to raise the level of General Managers in Asian countries. Any club which did not send their General Manager would not be eligible to participate in the 2009 AFC Champions League.
AFC President , Mr Mohamed Bin Hammam, said: “This seminar is an important step in the re-launch of the AFC Champions League. Education and knowledge are always a priority for AFC and we want to ensure that all our Club General Managers are working in a professional capacity as football in Asia continues to grow.”
The seminar was organised by International Center for Sport Studies (CIES) and supported by FIFA. Key European speakers, such as Mr Andreas Herren, former Director of FIFA’s media department and Dr Patrick Cotting, who was until earlier this year the Director of Eurosport were invited by CIES to share experiences and best practices from the European based Champions League.
The re-launch of the AFC Champions League will take place by the end of 2008, with the aim of repositioning the event as the number one sports event in Asia. The re-branding of the league will be accompanied by a new promotional and marketing strategy that focuses on highlighting the new era of Asian football and promising more energy, pride and excitement, on and off the pitch. The key objectives for the AFC are to increase attendance and viewership of matches.
