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News

Paolo Mariano

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Onward and upward!

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Friday announced the nominees for this year's major awards, which will make a comeback after a four-year hiatus.

The 27th edition of the AFC Annual Awards will be held at the Al Mayassa Theatre in Qatar, with a slew of big names up for contention for the continent's top individual recognitions.

For Men's Player of the Year, Mathew Leckie of Australia, Almoez Ali of Qatar, and Salem Al Dawsari of Saudi Arabia are nominated.

Sam Kerr of Australia, Zhang Linyan of China, and Saki Kumagai of Japan, meanwhile, will contend for Women's Player of the Year.

There's also the trophy for Asian International Player of the Year, where Mehdi Taremi of Iran, Kaoru Mitoma of Japan, and Kim Min-jae of South Korea are nominated.

Graham Arnold of Australia, Hajime Moriyasu of Japan, and Saad Al Shehri of Saudi Arabia are up for Men's Coach of the Year, while Shui Qingxia of China, Tomomi Miyamoto of Japan, and Kim Eun-jung of South Korea will contend for Women's Coach of the Year.

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF), meanwhile, is set to receive a plum for President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Silver), along with the Guam Football Association and the Football Association of Thailand.

The PFF was given the same award in 2014 and 2016.

The PFF has continually spread football in various parts of the country, including far-flung areas, in hopes of growing the sport and discovering more young talent for the men's and women's national teams.

The year 2023 has been a historic one for the PFF, with the women's national team notching a win in the country's first-ever stint in the FIFA Women's World Cup and the women's under-17 national squad earning a first-ever berth in the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup.