November 12 – The Asian Football Confederations (AFC) has announced its nominees for the 2014 AFC Player of the Year. The AFC Annual Awards will be held in Manila, Philippines, on November 30 in conjunction with the AFC’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
The men’s nominees are dominated by players from west asia, reflecting the growing playing prominence in the region of teams from the Arabic nations.
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) striker Nassir Al Shamrani, Al Ain (UAE) defender Ismail Ahmed, and 2006 AFC Player of the Year Qatar’s Khalfan Ibrahim have been nominated. The names will be unfamiliar to Europeans but their performances have been impressive in any language.
Top scorer or joint-top scorer in five of the past seven seasons in Saudi Arabia’s top flight, Al Shamrani has been top scorer or joint top scorer in in five of the past seven season in the Suadi league. This season he scored 10 times in Al Hilal’s AFC Champions League (ACL) campaign that saw them finish as runners-up.
Al-Ain reached the semi-finals of the ACL in major part due to Ismail Ahmed’s dominant presence in defence. He is the first UAE player to be nominated. In contrast Qatar’s Khalfan Ibrahim won the award in 2006 and repeated that form in 2014 with Al Sadd who made it to the last eight ACL.
The women’s nominees are from east asia and Australia, and similarly reflect the balance of power currently in women’s game
AFC Women’s Asian Cup champions have two nominees, while runners-up Australia have one.
Japan’s Aya Miyama (pictued), named most valuable player at the Asian Cup, has already won the award in 2011 and 2012. She will be up against team-mate Nahomi Kawasumi and Australia’s Katrina Gorry.
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