The AFC.com


Japanese double for futsal prizes!

30 November 2006

ABU DHABI: Qatari Khalfan Ibrahim overcame a tough field to win the AFC Player of the Year award while China's Ma Xiaoxu not only clinched the AFC Women's Player of the Year award but also stormed what was hitherto a male bastion by winning the AFC Youth Player of the Year award here on Wednesday.

Ibrahim left behind Kuwaiti striker Badr Al Mutawa and Saudi Arabia's utility player Mohamed Al Shlhoub in the race to be named as the best Asian player on the strength of four Most Valuable Player (MVP) nominations - two each in the AFC Champions League 2006 and AFC Asian Cup 2007 qualifying. This decisively tilted the balance in his favour with 80 points while Mutawa fell short by 20 points after collecting 60 points while Al Shlhoub was five points further back.

“I would like to thank my parents, especially my father (former Qatari international Ibrahim Khalfan) for their support and guidance and the Emir of Qatar for this wonderful achievement," said a delighted Ibrahim, who had heavily discounted his chances of scooping the award in the pre-awards press conference a day earlier.

“I never thought I would win it," said the Al Sadd player who is the first Qatari ever to win the award. “It is a triumph for my team mates and club."

If the 18-year-old Ibrahim's triumph was a delightful surprise sprung on the 500-strong audience at the Emirates Palace Hotel, then the grand double of Ma, who is also 18 years old, proved to be the icing on the cake of a memorable night which got underway with the presentation of the AFC’s most prestigious award, Diamond of Asia, to FIFA President Joseph S Blatter at the hands of AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam.

“I’m touched,” said Blatter.

“Our game is about entertainment and passion. It has also become a very big business and you in Asia are responsible for the big business as you have two thirds of the world’s population."

“The future is Asia. Diamonds are forever and my friendship for you in Asia is forever.”

The sizeable Chinese delegation in the ballroom erupted into cheers when Ma's name was announced as the winner of the AFC Youth Player of the Year award. The feat firmly entered Ma's name into the annals of AFC awards history as the first woman recipient of a title for which previously only male players had been named.

Not a few minutes had passed during which time Japan's Kenichiro Kogure ambled up the stage to receive the inaugural AFC Futsal Player of the Year award, before Ma's name echoed through the hall again - she had won the AFC Women's Player of the Year accolade too, thanks to her superb performances for China in all women's tournaments this year. Even more remarkably, no player has ever won an AFC award in two different categories the same year.

“I knew I had a good chance of winning the women’s award but I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get the youth award too," said Ma, who will be in action for China in the Asian Games on Thursday against Thailand . “This will provide me the motivation to do my best in the future."

Kim Kum-il of DPR Korea was named AFC Youth Player of the Year First Runner-up while his compatriot Ri Kum-suk was named women’s runner-up.

Shamsul Maidin of Singapore was named AFC Referee of the Year for the second time running, thanks to his strong and flawless performance in a string of AFC and FIFA tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany.

Australia's fantastic run to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2006 deservingly fetched them the AFC Men's Team of the Year award while the DPR Korea U-20 women's team won the AFC Women's Team of the Year award, courtesy their title triumph in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship.

There was more joy for DPR Korea when Choe Kwang-sok, the man who steered them to the FIFA title, was named as AFC Coach of the Year. Yet another award going DPR Korea's way was the AFC Association of the Year award.

Japan, who broke Iran's domination in the AFC Futsal Championship this year, were named as the AFC Futsal Team of the Year while AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Motors of Korea Republic won the AFC Club of the Year award. The AFC Fair Play Award went to Korea Republic.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com