AFC Presidential Candidates Pitch ASEAN Federation; VERO Help for Al Serkal

(ATR) The four candidates bidding to succeed Mohamed Bin Hammam as president of the Asian Football Confederation have pitched their cases to ASEAN Football Federation officials.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Yousuf Al Serkal of UAE, Hafez Al Medlej of Saudi Arabia, and Thailand Football Association president Worawi Makudi presented to AFF officials in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, according to the Gulf Daily News.

The AFF’s members include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.

The AFC presidential election takes place in Kuala Lumpur on May 2.

Al Serkal Brings VERO Communications on Board

The head of the United Arab Emirates Football Association has appointed VERO Communications to advise on his campaign and international media relations.

Al Serkal, who recently told World Football INSIDER that the AFC presidential race was "neck and neck", is holding a press conference on Monday in Dubai to unveil his election manifesto.

The AFC vice-president, who last week held talks with FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Zurich in a scheduled meeting, will present his vision to reform Asian football governance following Bin Hammam's corruption-hit leadership, before a Q&A session with media.

Set up in 2006 by Mike Lee, former head of communications for the London 2012 Olympic bid, VERO has since played a key role in Rio 2016’s Games bid and in Qatar’s successful campaign to secure the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

With four weeks until the AFC presidential election, Al Serkal’s signing of VERO indicates a change in gear in his campaign to become the most powerful man in Asian football.

On Monday this week he attended key meetings of the ASEAN Football Federation. And on Tuesday he attended its awards night to celebrate the achievements of players, coaches and referees across the region.

"I would like to congratulate the AFF in the work it has done in organising many coaching, refereeing and administration development courses, and in providing the theatre for them and the players to shine through AFF competitions in men’s and women’s football, and futsal," he said in a VERO press release.

"In particular, the president of AFF, HRH Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, and its executive members, deserve particular credit for their excellent work in driving football standards up in the region.

"Indeed, if I am elected President of the AFC, I am absolutely committed to giving more freedom to the regional federations to drive forward training and development programmes, given the excellent work that is already taking place. This will help improve efficiency and speed up the development of football right across the Confederation."

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Written by Mark Bisson

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