AFC - Several of the most iconic names in Asian football are poised to grace the eagerly-anticipated AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Final Draw tomorrow at the Armani Hotel in the United Arab Emirates’ iconic Burj Khalifa at 7:30pm (UAE time).
Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ali Daei, who was top scorer the last time the tournament was held in the UAE in 1996, former China PR and Manchester City star Sun Jihai, current stars India’s Sunil Chettri and Philip Younghusband from the Philippines will feature alongside draw conductor, AFC General Secretary, Dato’ Windsor John in selecting the teams from the four pots.
Together with UAE legend Zuhair Bakheet, whose role will be unveiled during tomorrow’s draw, the five football luminaries were specially selected to represent all the five AFC zones competing in UAE 2019, exemplifying the tournament slogan of “Bringing Asia Together.”
AFC General Secretary, Dato’ Windsor said: “We have enjoyed three years of captivating qualifying action and now the most crucial moment – the Final Draw – is finally here and the AFC along with the Local Organising Committee are sparing no efforts in staging a truly world-class event.
“There is so much excitement around the draw and I am confident that our much-admired stars, who have brought so much joy to football fans in the Continent over the decades, will contribute significantly to the prestige and spectacle of this draw in the UAE.”
Adding to the glitz and glamour in Dubai, two-time AFC Asian Cup winner and Saudi Arabia’s all-time leading scorer Majed Abdullah as well as two-time AFC Asian Cup star, Thailand’s Pipat Thonkanya, who scored a brace in the 2007 edition, will also be in attendance.