AFC president arrives in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, Jan. 4(BNA): Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Chief and FIFA Vice President Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa arrived in Abu Dhabi to attend the 17th Asian Cup, which will open on Saturday, January 5, in the United Arab Emirates and run until the 1st of February. Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa will chair the meeting of the AFC Executive Bureau, which will be held on Friday evening to review the final preparations for the Asian Football Cup, which will see the participation of 24 teams for the first time. Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa expressed his confidence in the ability of the United Arab Emirates to provide all necessary conditions to ensure the success of the championship. In a statement on his arrival in Abu Dhabi, he said that the organization of the Asian Football Cup for the second time represents a vote of confidence in the ability of the UAE to host such sports events. He said that the UAE first hosted the Asian Cup in 1996 successfully, hailing the football strides in the country which organized a string of international sporting events, including the under-20 world cup in 2003 and the world clubs championship four times.