DUSHANBE, October 15, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik young soccer players yesterday left for Turkey to be trained for the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) U-19 Championship 2008, Nourali Khorkashev, an aide to the head of the Tajik Football Federation, said in an interview with Asia-Plus. 

During their stay in Turkey, Tajik young soccer players will practice two weeks and play three games with teams from Turkey’s prime league, the aide said.  

The AFC U-19 Championship 2008, the 35th edition of this tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation, will be hosted by Saudi Arabia between October 31 and November 14.  the matches will be played in Dammam and Khobar, both located in the eastern Province.  

The 46 member Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of football in Asia, excluding Cyprus and Israel, and including Australia.  The AFC was founded in 1954 in Manila, Philippines, and is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations.  The main headquarters is located in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.