Manama, Oct. 10 (BNA)– President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa stressed support to projects aimed at developing football in Asia, lauding the role of the International Football Federation (FIFA), headed by Joseph S. Blatter, in this respect.

He was speaking as he patronised today the concluding ceremony of a FIFA symposium held at the Regency Hotel for presidents, Secretaries General and technical directors of West Asian countries’ federations. It was hosted by Bahrain Football Association with the participation of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine and Iran.

He congratulated South Korea, Iran, Australia and Japan on qualifying for the World Cup 2014 finals, wishing the Jordanian team every success in the playoff to enhance the Asian football presentation in the forthcoming international event.

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BNA 1651 GMT 2013/10/10