15.12.2006 KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Tourism Malaysia today announced their collaboration to promote the AFC Asian Cup 2007 final competition, starting with the Final Draw to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Tuesday 19 th December 2006.

AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam, Director General of Tourism Malaysia Dato' Mirza Mohammad Taiyab and AFC Asian Cup Host Association, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)'s General Secretary Dato' Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad all attended the press conference.

"The AFC Asian Cup is Asian football's crown jewels, and we are committed to making it the best AFC competition ever. Through valuable partnerships in each of the host countries, we can achieve this." Hammam continued, "One of these very valuable partnerships here in Malaysia is with Tourism Malaysia, and we are delighted with their support and enthusiasm. As Malaysia is one of the hosts, it is a great opportunity to further promote the country as a sporting venue."

Tourism Malaysia's Director General Dato' Mirza Muhammad Taiyab added, "We're all proud to be a part of such a dynamic and truly Asian tournament which from global television audience perspective, is the second largest singlesport event in Asia, second only to the FIFA World Cup."

"We are delighted that Malaysia was selected as one of the four hosts, as it coincides with our Visit Malaysia 2007 campaign year in conjunction with the 50 th anniversary of Malaysia's Independence. We look forward to celebrating through football!"

Dato' Seri Ibrahim Saad took the opportunity to reaffirm the FAM's commitment to Asia's premier national team football competition. "We want to demonstrate what can be accomplished by combining our forces in the true spirit of partnership. We are looking forward to working closely with AFC and Tourism Malaysia for the competition."

About the AFC ASIAN CUP 2007 FINAL DRAW

The final stretch to the AFC Asian Cup 2007 Finals starts with the Official Draw on December 19 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The AFC's biggest competition ever, featuring the top sixteen national teams in Asia, will kick off in Bangkok, Thailand, on 7 July 2007. The Final Match on 29 July 2007 shall take place in Jakarta, Indonesia. The two semifinal matches will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.