Milutinovic: Asian football needs man with vision

Former head coach of the Chinese national team Bora Milutinovic said Wednesday that the new president of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has to be a man of vision, as in Asia distances are long, and so progress is harder.

In a telephone interview at AFC election Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Milutinovic said that the Asian organization has made enormous achievements so far, although it still lags behind of European or American organizations.

"It is necessary to have patience," he said. "as I see Asian Federation almost as three separate worlds. You have Arabs, then India and all Middle Asian countries, and far-East with China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia."

"Some things cannot be done over night. Countries like Saudi Arabia have excellent organizations, also United Arab Emirates or Qatar made great progress but still they are behind those of South America or Europe", Milutinovic said.

"This is why it is immensely important that the next president is a man with a vision."