Working hand-in-hand: FIFA president Gianni Infantino (left) and Qatar FA president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani posing for the camera after attending AFC’s Executive Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. — Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA will build new state-of-the-art football stadium called The AFC Stadium in Putrajaya through a collaborative project.
According to news published in the AFC’s official website today, the new football-specific stadium will be constructed on a land site spanning 6.172 hectares, with a fully equipped grandstand, spectators’ boulevard and atrium, administrative offices and underground carpark.
The stadium is about 30km from the Asian football’s headquarters, the AFC House in Bukit Jalil.
AFC said they will be financed with the support of the FIFA Forward programme and will further strengthen the AFC’s ambitions, through their Vision and Mission, to support their Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs) with greater efficiency.
The Football Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian Government will provide logistical support to the project, the AFC said.
AFC president Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa is confident that the new AFC Stadium will pave the way for their MAs and RAs to scale even greater heights in the next decade.
“The AFC House has been the focal point of football development through numerous courses, workshops and seminars in the areas of Technical and Refereeing and now with this new AFC Stadium, we have the potential to do so much more.
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I must convey our gratitude to FIFA for their willingness to chart a new era of progress with the AFC as well as the Malaysian Government for their dedication towards the development of Asian football, not only through this project but for its steadfast support over the decades,” Shaikh Salman said.
Meanwhile, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended AFC’s 11th AFC Executive Committee meeting here yesterday, described it as an important investment for Asian football.
“It is a great project, and I am really proud and happy that we are teaming up through this AFC and FIFA stadium which can mark a new and important step in the Asian region,” he added.
The stadium floor area will be approximately 580,000sq ft with a seating capacity of 10,000 and will feature the highest quality FIFA graded football pitch.
Amongst others, some of the key features also include a cafeteria, a leading-edge media tribune and media commentators’ room as well as a vibrant water feature to be constructed at the entrance of the stadium. — Bernama
