Kuala Lumpur, 24 August 2023 - His Excellency Mr Jassim bin Rashid Al-Buainain, President of the QFA, participated in the first meeting of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Professional Football Task Force, which was held in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
To further emphasize the Confederation’s determination, as outlined in its Vision and Mission, the Task Force appointed former Korea Republic captain Park Ji-sung as its chairperson.
In light of the revamped three-tiered club competitions system which will take effect from the 2024/25 season, the Task Force reviewed the amendments suggested to the 2023 edition of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations.
The Task Force was also briefed on the organisational structure of the Professional Football Department which has undergone significant enhancement in order to facilitate the introduction of new programmes to better assist Club Licensing administration in the Confederation’s Member Associations (MAs), thereby supporting the further development of Asian clubs.
Additionally, besides sharing updates and trends pertaining to the activities conducted during the AFC Club Licensing Cycle of 2022-2023, a constructive dialogue was centred around charting the way forward for the gradual transformation of the Task Force to operate as a Committee in the near future.
Yet another major highlight of the meeting was the discussion on the possibility of introducing a Homegrown Players Policy, the focus of which would be the long-term success of the Confederation’s MAs through the development of domestic youth players and establishment of a sustainable revenue model of clubs in Asia.
All Task Force recommendations are now subject to approval by the AFC Executive Committee before implementation.