The Asian Football Confederation congress for the year 2019 will be happening in Kuala Lumpur this Saturday and current president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has inevitably arrived in Malaysia for the meeting where he is running unopposed for another four-year term.
Yet he has other matters on hand to settle first and one of it included paying a courtesy visit to the Royal Palace to meet the King of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to thank him for his service to football on behalf of the Asian football family.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong had previously held various roles throughout the world of football from the president of Football Association of Malaysia to the vice-president of AFC to being part of the FIFA Council, proving himself to be a vital member of the biggest football organisations.
“His Majesty is rightly regarded as an inspirational figure in Malaysian and Asian football and on behalf of the whole Asian football family, I was able to tell him personally the deep appreciation and gratitude Asian football has for His Majesty’s outstanding contributions and commitment towards football over recent decades.
“He served the game in many capacities and his presence and support will be missed by many – me included as we will all cherish His Majesty’s tireless efforts towards developing the professional administration and promotion of the game," said Salman in a press statement.
The Agong has held many other positions in the AFC including Chairman of the Organising Committee for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 and Chairman of the AFC Development Committee. Most recently, he served on the FIFA Council and chaired the AFC Governance Task Force which was responsible for delivering important reforms.
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