Replies to Media ● Dec 24, 2014
FAS’ Reply to Media Query on the New Technical Director and the U17 World Cup Bid
On the new Technical Director
He should have experience in leading a team at FIFA’s or UEFA’s age-group world championships or a good track record as the Technical Director of a top team in Europe. The new Technical Director will be tasked to build on the success of our youth development system, develop more youth players who have the quality to play in Europe, and oversee the long-term preparations for key events including the FIFA Youth World Cup. He will also play a key role in expanding the base of grassroots football and in grooming local coaches as we embark on the next phase of training and developing quality coaches at both the elite and grassroots levels.
It is our target to appoint the best available person who will further strengthen our youth development structure with the aim of creating a winning team for key competitions such as the AFC Asian Cup, Asian Games, FIFA Asian World Cup Qualifiers, Pre-Olympic Qualifiers, AFF Suzuki Cup, SEA Games and AFC/AFF age-group competitions.
On the U17 World Cup bid
The hosting of the event will benefit us not only from the sporting and footballing perspectives, but also rally the nation and provide a platform for us to further showcase our organisational efficiency as well as the ability to establish key infrastructure and capabilities rapidly.
From the footballing perspective, one key benefit in hosting the Under-17 World Cup is the development of a core group of top players who are expected to represent the nation in several editions of key competitions including the AFC Asian Cup, Asian Games, Qualifiers for the World Cup and Olympics, SEA Games and AFF Suzuki Cup from 2019 to 2030, and beyond. In addition, the hosting of the event will further enhance our youth development structure which will in turn strengthen our chances of qualifying for subsequent editions of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup on merit.
