AFC President congratulates Australia
Sydney (IraqiNews.com) AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has offered his congratulations to the AFC Asian Cup 2015 winners, Australia, following their hard fought victory over Korea Republic in Saturday’s final – which ended 2-1 after extra time.
Shaikh Salman, who handed over the prestigious Asian Cup trophy to Socceroos team captain Mile Jedinak after the final whistle at the Stadium Australia Sydney, said it has been a remarkable 23-day celebration of Asian football and the thrilling encounter between Australia and Korea Republic in the final had rounded off the tournament perfectly.
“Australia has won the competition for the very first time in their history, and to do this in front of the home crowd is truly special. I would like to commend the team for their deserved victory,” he said. “Furthermore, whilst we always welcome coaches from outside Asia, it is nice to see the team coached by one of our own.”
The AFC President also expressed his hopes that the competition as well as Australia’s victory would provide the impetus for the rest of Asia to progress and elevate their standard to an even higher level.
“Australia’s win and their standard of performance throughout the competition is a yardstick that all Asian nations should look to follow, and this also goes for their organisation of the whole event.
“The tournament itself has been tremendous. Filled with quality and excitement, it was a fantastic festival of football that the whole of Asia can be proud of.
“As such, allow me to congratulate Australia for hosting such a memorable AFC Asian Cup. The whole world was presented with a competition that has been remarkable in spirit and in passion, and we have Australia to thank for that,” he said.
The President also praised runners-up Korea Republic for showing great effort during the tournament, reaching the final with the best defence whilst fielding a young squad. He also admired the team for being model professionals on and off the pitch.
The AFC President took the opportunity to praise all teams that participated in the AFC Asian Cup, as the competition this year has provided a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the fans.
He added that the whole continent proved to have amazing enthusiasm for the game, as demonstrated by the impressive attendance figures throughout the tournament, the television viewership, and the online and social media reach.
Shaikh Salman said that he is looking forward to an exciting future for the competition with more teams joining in for the 2019 edition of the AFC Asian Cup, and with qualification starting later this year the excitement is set to begin all over again./End/