By CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City — Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officials are arriving today here for the AFC President’s Cup Group B Qualifiers at Panaad Park and Sports Stadium on May 6–10.
They will be led by the manager of National Team Competitions, Malaysian national Brian See Mei Chiat.
Other arriving AFC officials include match commissioner Ali D.A. Jebril Ghalia from Palestine, referees Win Cho (Myanmar) and Mukhtar Saleh Ali Al-Yarimi (Yemen), and assistant referees Wang De Xin (China), Aung Moe (Myanmar), Al-Hasani Ali Mohammed Ahmed (Yemen) and Md Manir Ahmmad Dhali (Bangladesh).
Referee Yousef Th Y Th Almarzouq from Kuwait will arrive tomorrow. Other officials will follow them.
Sunday will also see the arrival of the Philippine Football Federation oversight team of Maja Paula Año, Francesca Burgos and Ariel Serrantes, and the Rimyongsu Club of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) composed of 24 players and nine officials.
Other teams from HTTU of Turkmenistan and Tatung side of Chinese Taipei are expected to arrive before the start of tournament.
The same is true for match commissioner May Tola from Cambodia, referee assessor Ismail Adnan Ismail Al-Hafi from Jordan, and referee Arumughan Rowan and assistant referee Soma Oraon, both from India.
Local team Ceres-La Salle FC, representing the Philippines, will play against North Korea’s Rimyongsu Club on May 6, 5 p.m., and will face Chinese-Taipei on May 8, 7:30 p.m.
Its match against defending champion Turkmenistan is on May 10, 5 p.m.
Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Mayor Monico Puentevella are supporting the tournament./PN
