AFC
Former AFC general secretary Peter Velapaan dies at age 83
Velapaan has been regarded as one of the “most important architects” of the football in Asia.
Former AFC general secretary Peter Velapaan dies at age 83
Velapaan has been regarded as one of the “most important architects” of the football in Asia.
Former Asian football administrator Datuk Peter Velappan passed away on Saturday at the age of 83, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced.
The Malaysian worked as general secretary of the AFC from 1978 to 2007 and is often regarded as one of the most important “architects” of Asian football.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said that “Peter served Asian football with passion and professionalism'
'On behalf of the entire Asian football family, I send my condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the family of one of the most important architects of growing the game in Asia.”
Asian football architect
Born in 1935, Velappan studied at the University of Birmingham, Loughborough College in the United Kingdom and McGill University in Canada.
Before joining the AFC in 1954, he served as a teacher in Seremban, Malaysia.
On 1978, Velappan was appointed general secretary of the AFC, a position he occupied for 29 years, until 2007.
During his tenure, the Malaysian oversaw the entry of many member countries as well as the continent hosting its first ever Fifa World Cup.
He was the coordination director of the organizing committee of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea-Japan.