October 30 – Qatar’s Akram Afif and Japanese star Kiko Seike were crowned the AFC men’s and women’s players of the year at a glitzy award ceremony on Tuesday night in South Korea.
Afif led Qatar to the Asian Cup title in February and finished the tournament as top scorer with eight goals, including three penalty strikes in the final against Jordan. He also won the AFC award in 2019.
Afif was presented with the trophy after his performances had been instrumental in Qatar’s successful defence of their Asian Cup title on home soil earlier in the year. He was also instrumental in Al Sadd SC’s double-winning domestic campaign, starring with 26 goals and 11 assists in 22 league games.
He joins Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata and Server Djeparov of Uzbekistan as the only players to win accolade twice.
“Of course I’m proud of myself and what I did, but I want more,” he said. “Everyone wants more, everyone wants to be better than yesterday, so I want to be the first one to do it three times.”
Seike took the women’s prize after helping the Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies win a second straight Japanese league title, setting a record for goals scored in one season.
She also scored seven more times as Urawa won the AFC Women’s Club Championship in 2023 and also featured for the Nadeshiko at the Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, before helping them qualify for the Olympic Games.
She signed for Brighton in England in July.
The men’s AFC Coach of the Year honour went to Japan’s Go Oiwa, who guided Japan to a second AFC U23 Asian Cup in May, making him the first two-time winner of the award having previously won it in 2018 with Kashima Antlers.
South Korea’s Park Youn-jeong won the women’s equivalent. She is the youngest ever head coach to take the reins of a South Korean national team at any age group with her appointment to the U20 women’s side in 2023, and taking them to the U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024.
Iran star Saeid Ahmad Abbasi picked up the AFC Futsal Player of the Year prize after shining at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand 2024, where he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and Yili Top Scorer.
Australia’s Ellie Carpenter became the inaugural recipient of the AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women) accolade, edging fellow nominee Yui Hasegawa of Japan to the top prize.
FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, was given the honorary Diamond of Asia Award. One hopes he took away more than just the diamonds with this award. His close allies the Qatar Football Association were honoured with the AFC Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award, while the Saudi Arabian Football Federation received the AFC President’s Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution.
AFC Annual Awards Seoul 2023 Roll of Honour:
AFC Diamond of Asia
Gianni Infantino
AFC Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award
Qatar Football Association
AFC President’s Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution
Saudi Arabian Football Federation
AFC Member Association of the Year
Platinum: Japan Football Association
Diamond: The Football Association of Thailand
Gold: All Nepal Football Association
Ruby: Lao Football Federation
AFC Regional Association of the Year
Central Asian Football Association
AFC President’s Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football
Gold: Football Australia
Silver: All India Football Federation
Bronze: Vietnam Football Federation
AFC Coach of the Year (Women)
Park Youn-jeong (Korea Republic Women U20 and KOR)
AFC Coach of the Year (Men)
Go Oiwa (Japan U23 and JPN)
AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Saeid Ahmad Abbasi (IRN)
AFC Women’s Player of the Year
Kiko Seike (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies/Brighton & Hove Albion and JPN)
AFC Player of the Year
Akram Afif (Al Sadd SC and QAT)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women)
Ellie Carpenter (Olympique Lyonnais and AUS)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Men)
Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur and KOR)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women)
Chae Un Yong (Wolmido SC and PRK)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men)
Abbosbek Fayzullaev (CSKA Moscow and UZB)
AFC Referees Special Award
Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Turki’ Abdullah Al Salehi (OMA)
Ibrahim Yousif Al Raeesi (UAE)
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