Manama, July 22, 2013: The AFC Executive Committee, in its first meeting under the chairmanship of AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, decided to confer the AFC Diamond of Asia award on former FIFA Vice-President Dr. Chung Mong-joon.
Highlighting the Korean football administrator’s contribution to Asian football, Shaikh Salman said: “Dr. Chung played a key role in bringing the coveted FIFA World Cup to Asia for the first time in 2002 and was instrumental in showing Asian football the way to development and growth.
“He also served in many FIFA and AFC standing committees and was deservingly appointed honorary vice-president of FIFA in 2011. His philanthropic activities towards helping football communities devastated by disasters in the continent are also well-known.”
Dr. Chung will be the ninth recipient of the elite accolade after Saburo Kawabuchi (2005), Joseph S Blatter (2006), Lennart Johannson (2007), Ken Naganuma (posthumously; 2008), General Farouk Bouzo (2009), Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak (2010), HM Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah (2011), Tan Sri Hamzah Haji Abu Samah (posthumously; 2012).
The 61-year-old industrialist-cum-politician was elected as the President of the Korea Football Association in 1993 and was re-elected as the KFA Chief four times until 2008. He was appointed Honorary President of the KFA in 2009. He was elected as the FIFA Vice-President in 1994 and was re-elected to this position four times.
Dr. Chung donated US$400,000 for rebuilding football infrastructure following devastating floods in Pakistan in 2010 and provided financial help of US$200,000 to the PSSI (Indonesian Football Association) to assist in relief efforts after earthquake and tsunami the same year.
The award will be presented during the AFC Annual Awards to be held in Kuala Lumpur in November.
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