| November 28, 2018
#116/2018 AFC honours Zhang Jilong with prestigious Diamond of Asia Award
The Diamond of Asia Award – the top accolade of the AFC Annual Awards Muscat 2018 – has been presented to Zhang Jilong, the former acting President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) by the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
Through his tireless devotion, Zhang Jilong has been instrumental in raising the standards of football in the Continent and was the man who brought calm and peace to the AFC at a critical point in its history.
The award, presented by Shaikh Salman in Beijing, China PR, is a fitting honour for one of the true giants of Asian football.
The AFC President said: "It was a privilege to see Jilong again in Beijing and, on behalf of the AFC, I thanked him for everything that he had achieved for Asian football and for this Confederation. There have been few worthier recipients of this, our highest personal award, than Jilong. He has served the game of football wonderfully over the years."
Zhang Jilong, who could not be in Muscat, said: "I am deeply honoured to receive the Diamond of Asia Award. I am grateful for all the people who supported and encouraged me during my long football journey.
"Together, we overcame many challenges and today I am pleased to see that the AFC is stable, strong and united in purpose, nothing makes me happier. I would like to thank my dear friend H.E. Shaikh Salman, members of the AFC Executive Committee and to the Asian football family for this award and your continued support."
Born on February 9, 1952, in Yantai City in the Shandong province, Zhang has dedicated more than four decades of outstanding service to sport and football. He graduated from the Beijing International Studies University in 1975 and joined the Chinese Sports Commission.
He was the Executive Secretary of the Chinese Football Association in 1979 before becoming its Deputy General Secretary and Vice President. Previously he had worked in the international department of the Chinese Sports Commission – spending some years in Africa.
As Director of the Sports Department for the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the world of sport benefitted from his expert counsel.
He joined the AFC in 1990 as a member of the AFC Rules and Regulations Committee. And Zhang's astute leadership was invaluable in nearly every aspect of football development.
A distinguished and loyal servant to the AFC, he subsequently served as Chairman of the AFC Finance and Marketing, Technical and Competition Committees as well as the Organising Committee for the AFC Asian Cup.
He became the AFC Senior vice-president in 2002 and under his guidance as the acting President of the AFC from 2011 to 2013, he calmly laid the foundations for Asian football to continue on its path to success amidst the Confederation's most challenging period.
During his Presidency, Zhang reinforced the AFC's commitment to support its Member Associations with the AFAP marking a significant increase.
He was also influential in expanding the reach of the game with the introduction of the Grassroots Year in 2013, which set the momentum for the highly-successful AFC Grassroots Football Day.
In 2006, he became a member of the FIFA World Cup Organising Committee and was awarded the prestigious FIFA Order of Merit in 2007, before serving on the FIFA Executive Committee from 2011 to 2015.
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