AIPS ASIA News:

The unwavering commitment of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs) to elevate the standards of the beautiful game across all levels was honoured on Tuesday evening in a glittering ceremony at the AFC Annual Awards Seoul 2023.

The Japan Football Association was named the AFC Member Association of the Year in the Platinum category, with The Football Association of Thailand clinching the Diamond accolade whilst the All Nepal Football Association and Lao Football Federation secured the Gold and Ruby categories respectively.
 
Meanwhile, the AFC Regional Association of the Year award, which was introduced at the last edition of the AFC Annual Awards in Doha, was bestowed upon the Central Asian Football Association for the second consecutive time.
 
AFC Member Association of the Year – Platinum
 
Japan Football Association (JFA)
 
Widely regarded as one of Asia’s most established MAs, the JFA has continued to embrace the industry’s best practices, both on and off the pitch, bringing to bear landmark achievements in the AFC’s world-class competitions during the assessment period.
 
JFA’s success was palpable across several fronts with the age-group sides capturing the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Thailand 2023 and AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ titles, whilst Urawa Red Diamonds were placed fourth in the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Yokohama F. Marinos securing a runners-up finish in the AFC Champions League™ 2023-2024.
 
There was also triumph in the women’s game with the Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies sealing the coveted crown in the final edition of the AFC Women’s Club Championship in Saitama and the national side also reaching the Quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
 
Moreover, the JFA has been a model MA in embracing good governance practices and the Association also stands as leaders in hosting domestic competitions and advancing football development activities at all levels, including its advocacy for child safeguarding and upholding the integrity of the sport.
 
 
AFC Member Association of the Year – Diamond
 
The Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand)
 
FA Thailand’s strength in the regional competitions as well as its active hosting of Continental and regional tournaments and events place it as the worthy winner of the MA of the Year Diamond category.
 
Besides providing an exceptional backdrop for Asia’s finest teams in the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Thailand 2023 and the AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Thailand 2024, FA Thailand extended its world-class hosting capabilities beyond the field of play as it hosted the 34th AFC Congress as well as the 74th FIFA Congress in May 2024, further underlining its devotion towards the Asian game and the larger global football family.
 
Off the pitch, FA Thailand’s resolve towards upholding the highest standards of good governance and transparency was also noteworthy with its fully compliant Statutes leading the Association to receive exceptional scores in the AFC’s MA Governance Grading system.
 
AFC Member Association of the Year – Gold
 
All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)
 
The ANFA has continued to maintain the highest standards of good governance by developing its Statutes and Codes in line with the guiding principles of FIFA and the AFC.
 
Transparency and accountability have been established as the key tenets of the ANFA with its official website providing key information including the Association’s Statutes, electoral code, audited financial statements, internal organisation regulations, key decisions, circulars, strategic plans, and Congress agenda.
 
In addition, the ANFA has been active in hosting and organising regional competitions, namely the SAFF U-19 Championship 2023, the SAFF U-16 Women’s Championship as well as the AFC Qualifiers for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.
 
AFC Member Association of the Year – Ruby
 
Lao Football Federation (LFF)
 
The LFF organised full-fledged domestic competitions across all levels, which include both men’s and women’s age-group tournaments whilst strengthening its dedication to the grassroots movement and hosted several workshops and seminars – all to advance the development of the beautiful game in the Southeast Asian nation.
 
Exemplifying the AFC’s Vision of confirming football as the Continent’s number one sport, the LFF showcased the true power of partnerships when it joined forces with its provincial football federations as well as the MARUHAN Japan Bank Lao to celebrate the LFF Football Day on October 7, 2023, reaching as many as 2340 children and 216 coaches across 18 provinces in the football-loving nation.
 
The Federation also achieved a stellar governance grade, working tirelessly behind the scenes alongside all stakeholders to ensure its relevant regulations are in compliance with the AFC and FIFA’s good governance principles.
 
AFC Regional Association of the Year
 
Central Asian Football Association
 
As the youngest AFC Regional Association, the CAFA has continued its meteoric ascendancy by securing the prestigious accolade for the second consecutive time since the award was introduced last year.
 
The main strength of CAFA lies in the unity of its MAs and its steadfast efforts to consistently and systematically grow its regional competitions across all age-groups to further enhance the development of the game.
 
CAFA has organised seven competitions during the assessment period and emerged as a leader in the AFC’s RA Governance Grading system, underscoring its pledge to conform to the highest ethical and good governance standards.
 
It is also the beneficiary of the AFC Enhance Programme and obtained a clean external audit opinion from the AFC independent external auditors, which showcases its expertise and strong desire to adhere to the industry’s best practices in financial management.
 
For the full list of winners, please visit the-AFC.com.

Images from the AFC Annual Awards Seoul 2023 are available to the media at photos.the-afc.com with the following credentials: Username: aaa23media and Password: Aaa2023media

Courtesy AFC