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AFC – Bahrain striker A’ala Hubail, Iran
forward Ali Karimi and Japan playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura have been announced
as the nominees for this year’s AFC Player of the Year award.
The Asian Football Confederation revealed Monday the nominations for its
2004 annual awards, which will be presented at the Palace of the Golden
Horses hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, December 8.
Hubail, Karimi and Nakamura are up for the AFC’s most prestigious individual
award following their impressive displays at the Asian Cup 2004 in China,
which earned all three spots on the JCB Asian Cup All-Star team.
Hubail and Karimi were the tournament’s joint-top scorers with five goals
each while Nakamura won the Emirates MVP of the Tournament award after
helping Japan to lift their third Asian Cup title.
All three also helped their countries to reach the final round of the Asian
qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup as well as having good seasons for their
clubs. Hubail, 22, has been scoring goals on a regular basis since joining
Qatar league side Al Gharafa after the Asian Cup, 26-year-old Karimi
inspired Al Ahli to victory in the UAE President’s Cup final, and Nakamura,
26, remains a firm crowd favourite at Italian Serie A side Reggina.
The winner of the award will succeed 2003 AFC Player of the Year Mehdi
Mahdavikia of Iran and German Bundesliga side Hamburg.
There will be 10 other prizes presented on December 8 including awards for
Team of the Year, Coach of the Year and Youth Player of the Year.
In the National Team of the Year award category, Asian Cup champions Japan
will vie with Bahrain, who defied the odds to reach the semi-finals in only
their second Asian Cup appearance, and Olympic semi-finalists Iraq.
Iraq’s remarkable Olympic performance has also earned Adnan Hamd a
nomination in the Coach of the Year category with Turkmenistan national
coach Rahim Kurbanmamedov and Pakhtakor’s Tachmurod Agamurodov.
Korea Republic striker Park Chu-young, the top scorer and most valuable
player at the AFC Youth Championship 2004, is up for the Youth Player of the
Year award with Qatar’s Yusef Ahmad Ali and China’s Wang Dalei.
AFC Awards 2004 nominations
Player of the Year
A’ala Hubail (BHR), Ali Karimi (IRN), Shunsuke Nakamura (JPN)
Coach of the Year
Tachmurod Agamurodov (Pakhtakor - UZB), Adnan Hamd (IRQ), Rahim
Kurbanmamedov (TKM)
National Team of the Year
Bahrain, Iraq, Japan
Club Team of the Year
Al Ittihad (KSA), Home United (SIN), Seongnam Chunma (KOR.)
Women’s Team of the Year
China (U-19), Japan (Olympic), Korea Republic (U-19)
Women’s Player of the Year
Mio Otani (JPN), Park Eun-sun (KOR), Homare Sawa (JPN)
Futsal Team of the Year
Iran, Japan, Thailand
Special Merit Award:
Prince Abdul Rahman bin Saoud (former President of Al Nasr/KSA)
Fair Play Award:
China, Iran, Qatar
Match Official of the Year
Lu Jun (CHN), Shamsul Maidin (SIN), Moradi Masoud (IRN), Talaat Najm (LIB)
Youth Player of the Year
Yusef Ahmad Ali (QTR), Park Chu-young (KOR), Wang Dalei (CHN) |
