The World Football Summit held its first Asian edition in Hong Kong this week, bringing together football executives, investors and fans alongside some of the sport’s most recognisable former players.
The event took place at AsiaWorld-Expo, Sept. 3–4, following a year in which Hong Kong hosted several high-profile football events, including the Manchester United Tour of Asia in May, the Hong Kong Football Festival in July featuring Liverpool, AC Milan, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and the Saudi Super Cup in August with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Among the retired stars attending the summit were former England captains Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, Croatia’s all-time leading scorer Davor Šuker, and Italian manager Fabio Capello.
The summit was organized by WFS and Asia Partners IFBD Limited, with support from the Hong Kong Football Association, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
The World Football Summit opening ceremony Photo Credit: HKTB
The programme focused on football’s international expansion, youth development, digital transformation, investment, artificial intelligence, and sustainability.
Jan Alessie, co-founder and managing director of the summit, said Hong Kong was chosen to serve as a 'bridge between East and West for football, driving growth and unlocking new opportunities for the game across the region'.
Anthony Lau, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said hosting the summit highlighted the city’s ability to attract both sporting and business events.
He said the board arranged cultural tours for visiting delegates, adding: “We will continue to bring more large-scale international MICE events to Hong Kong.”
Delegates were given the chance to sample local food and visit popular attractions.
Ferdinand said he had little time to explore the city during previous visits for matches, but this time he was able to visit Victoria Peak and try local dishes. “The food is lovely… we had roasted goose, which was a traditional dish, it’s really nice,” he said.
Marian Otamendi, CEO of World Football Summit, said the Peak was a highlight and expressed interest in returning to explore Hong Kong’s beaches and mountains.
Filipe Gonçalves of Asia Partners IFBD said the goal was to create, 'a lasting legacy that harnesses the unique power of football to unite communities and unlock global opportunities right here in Asia'.
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James Lancaster
AMI editor James
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