Exclusive interview with Maradona concludes Soccerex Asian Forum 2015

(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Vice President of FIFA representing Asia, President of the West Asian football Federation and Chairman of the Jordan Football Association, the Soccerex Asian Forum 2015 has concluded its second edition, which was hosted by the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP).

The two-day forum was held at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea.

As the highlight of the Forum's second day, Soccerex featured an exclusive interview with Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona, who maintained that he still would have been the world's best player if not for his past with narcotics and his subsequent illness.

He added that his career today revolves around transferring the knowledge and experience he gained over the years to the new generation of talented young footballers. Maradona went on to say that he enjoys training both offence and defence players equally, and that he does not choose favourites between the teams he coached.

Dubbed by FIFA as the best footballer of the 20th century, Maradona told attendees - who included a large group of his fans, at the forefront of whom was HRH Prince Ali - about having to work hard to succeed despite his limited resources.

The interview ran a video of his second most famous goal, which he scored against the English team during the World Cup in 1986.

He concluded by answering that if he were to write his autobiography, he would not have changed any part of it except for his illness, which robbed him of his ability to enjoy football. In another session that brought together the world's top players, entitled 'Playing, Coaching & Scouting in Asia', Ossie Ardiles, the former Argentine national team's midfielder, who won the 1978 World Cup and former Manager of Japan's national team; Peter Reid, retired England player and currently Manager of Mumbai City; Lucas Neill, former Captain of Australia's national team; and Gaizka Mendieta, former Spain international, discussed their transition from playing with local clubs to international teams, as well as the impact of FIFA's ban on third-party ownership of players.

They also shared their views on the decision to stop licensing players' agents, and replacing them with intermediaries.

Reid spoke of his experience coaching the Mumbai City team and their skill despite not having the right type of management when he first took them on.

In turn, Ardiles clarified how Japan positioned its national team among the world's top 20, despite football not being a culture in Japan such as in Brazil or Argentine.

When asked about the impact of having foreign footballers play in national leagues, Neill expressed his conviction in the importance of having emerging leagues in Asia invest in their local players.

This, he said, would give foreigners a strong base that would attract them, rather than the other way around, and he used Jordan's experience as a supporting example.

He went on to state that the right way to scout for football talent starts with integrating the game into the everyday life of youth, which would give their talents the chance to shine.

The Forum's second and final day included a number of presentations covering the social aspect of the game, one of which was that of Demetris Zenetos, Head of Strategic Planning of the Qatar Football Association, who revealed the Association's award-winning corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, which received the Dream Asia Award granted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to individuals and associations promoting the culture of giving and emphasising the power of football in bringing about positive change in Asian communities.

Zenetos underscored the process of engaging the community in football and spreading it as a healthy lifestyle among Qatari youth.

He also touched on the 'Koura Time' initiative, which entered The Guinness World Record for the longest ever 5-a-side football match.

During its opening sessions, Soccerex €Asia's biggest football business event, held for the second consecutive year in Jordan € witnessed the unveiling of the official emblem of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which Jordan will be hosting in October 2016.

The Forum was attended by hundreds of regional and international sports personalities, football experts, heads of national football federations, and representatives of both local and international football clubs.

Serving as a platform for networking and knowledge exchange between East and West, the Forum featured discussion panels on the most pressing issues and challenges related to hosting international football tournaments.

It also presented opportunities and solutions to raise the calibre of the sport, which is considered the most popular worldwide.