Football managers from Saudi Arabia, Italy and England said on Sunday at the eighth Dubai Int'l Sports Conference that "the rise of Asian football to global significance was irreversible and that East and West would benefit from it," according to XINHUA. The two-day sports conference held under the theme "empowering the future of football" shed a light on upcoming trends in global football. Dr. Hafez Al-Medlej, exec committee member of the Asian Football Confederation and responsible for the association's marketing, said in his presentation that "with Qatar having won the bid to host the World Cup in 2022, Asian football would get a new push towards the global stage after Japan and South Korea co-hosted the World Cup" in '02. AC Milan Dir Umberto Gandini said that "neither the European football clubs nor the sponsors shall have to fear the rise of Asia as a top football region." Gandini: "Asia has a huge population, hence we in Europe should continue to reach out and co-operate by playing friendly matches and through participating at club championships in Asian countries" (XINHUA, 12/30).
