Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, has congratulated FC Arkadag on clinching the inaugural AFC Challenge League™ title after the Turkmenistan side defeated Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC 2-1 at a sold-out Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh on Saturday.
Altymyrat Annadurdyyew netted the winner eight minutes from the end of extra-time after Mekan Saparow had seen his 59th minute opener for the side from Ashgabat cancelled out by Saret Krya’s header with eight minutes remaining to take the decider into extra-time.
Shaikh Salman said: “Competitions, as the AFC has reiterated, are key drivers of development. The introduction of the AFC Challenge League™ as part of our reforms epitomises our ambitions to provide more opportunities for our emerging Member Associations to compete and grow through top level competitions.
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate Turkmenistan’s FC Arkadag on sealing a historic AFC Challenge League™ crown and our praise must also go to both the Football Federation of Turkmenistan and the Football Federation of Cambodia for creating a vibrant environment for their clubs to thrive on the Continental stage.”
The AFC President also conveyed his appreciation to the 18 Participating Clubs and Member Associations (MAs) for their steadfast commitment in ensuring the success of the maiden AFC Challenge League™ edition, whilst paying tribute to the five hosts of the centralised Group Stage.
Shaikh Salman added: “I would like to put on record the AFC’s sincerest gratitude to all our valued stakeholders, in particular our MAs and clubs, for embracing the landmark reforms to our club competitions.
“This new historic chapter could not have been written without the unwavering support of our gracious hosts in the Group Stages, and I applaud all of them, and everyone who worked behind the scenes, from start to finish, for their unity in ensuring a memorable AFC Challenge League™ season – one that will strengthen the foundations for us to scale new benchmarks in the coming years.”