New Delhi, May 6 (IANS): All India Football Federation (AIFF) Secretary General Dr Shaji Prabhakaran has been elected as an Executive Committee Member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Congress, which met in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday.

Dr Prabhakaran, who was appointed as the Secretary General of the Federation last year, will now also be involved in the development of the game, not only in India but also at the continental level.

AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said: "On behalf of AIFF, I congratulate Dr Shaji Prabhakaran, Secretary General, for getting elected to the AFC Executive Committee today at the SAFF Congress. I have no doubt that he will be an asset to the AFC Executive Committee, and the football fraternity across Asia will applaud the decision of the SAFF Congress to the election of him. I wish him good luck."

Dr Prabhakaran, on being elected an AFC Executive Committee member, expressed his gratitude and shared his vision to take Asian football forward.

"I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to members of the SAFF and AIFF for giving me this honour by electing me to the AFC Executive Committee," he was quoted as saying in a release on Saturday.

"It is an honour for me to represent SAFF in the AFC Executive Committee, and I will try to play my part being a member for the continuous development of football in Asia by working closely with the AFC President and his team," he added.