In its bid to root out corruption and wrongdoing on and off the pitch in the continent, the AFC Executive Committee endorsed the formation of an Ethics Committee on the lines of FIFA on Monday.

In its maiden meeting under the chairmanship of Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the members approved the two-chamber ethics committee – one investigative and one judiciary – and also adopted a stronger ethics code at par with the FIFA Ethics Code.

Shaikh Salman said the new committee will be functional by January next year and hoped that it will help AFC fight corruption at all levels.

The members also decided to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the confederation next year at a grand scale. A working committee has been formed to chalk out the celebration plan.

Shaikh Salman also praised FIFA President Sepp Blatter's efforts in resolving the issues faced by Palestine footballers.

"FIFA has formed a task force, comprising FIFA President, UEFA and AFC Presidents and Presidents of Israel and Palestine Football Associations, to resolve the matter. The task force will meet on September 3," he informed.