FUZHOU, China, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kelme joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) family of sponsors as the Official Global Supporter of AFC national team competitions, the sportswear brand announced here on Tuesday.

Under the new global partnership deal, Kelme is committed to provide sports apparel and accessories for the AFC's national team competitions from 2022 to 2024, and the official match ball for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

"The AFC is delighted to welcome Kelme to the ever-growing AFC family of global partners, which exemplifies the worldwide appeal of the AFC's brand and its competitions," said Dato' Windsor John, the AFC general secretary.

John added that the AFC's commitment to deliver world-class competitions is stronger than ever and together. "We are confident of creating a mutually beneficial partnership that will enable both the AFC and Kelme realise our shared ambitions."

The partnership encompasses major AFC competitions, including the AFC Asian Qualifiers-Road to Qatar 2022, the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 as well as the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022.

"For decades, football has been at the core of our brand and we are dedicated to continue challenging ourselves to drive innovation and to supply high quality equipment to the sport industry," said Ke Yongxiang, president of Kelme.

Kelme, founded in 1963, is the official sponsor of a number of Spanish La Liga clubs such as Espanyol and Real Valladolid. In recent years, the brand has reached technical partnership with many top international sports clubs, including Premier League Watford FC.

In 2014, Kelme sold its franchises in China to Yuanxiang garment company in Jinjiang, the sportswear manufacturing hub in east China's Fujian Province. In 2018, the Chinese company acquired controlling shares in Kelme for 300 million yuan (42.4 million U.S. dollars).

AFC is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six confederations making up FIFA. Established in 1954, the AFC is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and comprises 47 member associations.

The AFC organizes the AFC Asian Cup and the AFC Women's Asian Cup, which are the flagship continental national team competitions, while the AFC Champions League is the premier competition for Asian clubs, drawing millions of fans to the beautiful game across the length and breadth of the continent and beyond. Enditem

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