Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Homepage: http://www.the-afc.com/

History:

AFC, Asia’s foremost soccer governing body, was formed on May 8, 1954 in Manila, Philippines; and was officially recognized by FIFA on June 21,1954. Two years after it was founded, AFC held its first major competition, the Asian Cup, in Hongkong.

AFC’s founding member- nations include Afghanistan, Burma, Republic of China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam. AFC’s current membership stands at 41 nations.

Under the leadership of president Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah of Malaysia and general secretary Peter Velappan (also of Malaysia), AFC is laying the ground for a continent-wide programme to raise the standards of Asian football at all levels, be it on the field of play, administration or sports science. AFC firmly believes that Asia, with its 3.7 billion population, has the potential to produce many world-class footballing nations. Its ultimate goal is for an Asian team to win the FIFA World Cup someday.