Kuala Lumpur, March 28 (IANS): Football development specialist Andy Roxburgh has been named technical director of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Glaswegian will take up his role with immediate effect, an AFC release said on Saturday.

"This is excellent news for the AFC and Asian football development. The AFC is delighted to have Andy Roxburgh on board as its technical director to help us further raise our game and speed up our progress," AFC president Shaikh Salman said.

"Having someone of his calibre join the AFC shows the attraction Asia has as global football's future powerhouse."

Roxburgh, who held a similar position with European football's governing body, UEFA, between 1994 and 2012, had previously been the sporting director of American football side New York Red Bulls.

"I am delighted to be joining the AFC as its technical director, and I look forward to working with the member associations, especially in the area of football development," Roxburgh said.

"Asia has great potential and I hope to use my experience for the benefit of the game throughout this amazing continent," he concluded.