Tag: Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa

Ali Asghar Hasanzadeh wins AFC futsal player of the year 2018

Iran’s status as a global force in world futsal was further underlined after Ali Asghar Hasanzadeh, who was part of the IR Iran side which finished third in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, landed his fourth AFC Futsal Player of the Year accolade.

 

World Cup referee  Alireza Faghani also received  the AFC Referees Special Award for his outstanding refereeing in the World Cup. Also , his two assistances in Russia , Reza Sokhandan  and Mohammadreza Mansouri  where honored

After another year of remarkable progress for Asian football, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) celebrated the Continent’s most exceptional achievements in a dazzling AFC Annual Awards 2018 ceremony tonight in Muscat, Oman.

Al Sadd’s Abdelkarim Hassan claimed the coveted AFC Player of the Year Award while China PR’s Wang Shuang clinched the top accolade in the women’s category.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “We celebrate and applaud all our winners tonight who have work tirelessly to raise the bar each year. Asian football continues to attain world-class achievements, and this is a testament to our players, teams and Member Associations.

“We congratulate them all and all those nominated, and we thank our host the Oman Football Association and the Omani government for staging a truly memorable celebration in this wonderful city of Muscat.”

Kashima Antlers’ Go Oiwa who guided his side to their maiden AFC Champions League title earlier this month was duly rewarded with the 2018 AFC Men’s Coach of the Year award, while AFC Women’s Asian Cup Jordan 2018 winning coach Asako Takakura confirmed her legendary status in women’s football with her sixth AFC Women’s Coach of the Year award.

Former AFC Acting President Zhang Jilong was bestowed with the Continent’s highest accolade – the AFC Diamond of Asia Award – in recognition for his incredible service and leadership over the last four decades to Chinese and Asian football.

The winners of the AFC Annual Awards 2018 are:

AFC Diamond of Asia: Zhang Jilong (CHI)

AFC President’s Special Recognition Award:
• Futoshi Ikeda (JPN)
• Wild Boars F.C. (THA)
AFC Member Association of the Year:
• Inspiring: Japan Football Association
• Developing: DPR Korea Football Association
• Aspiring: Mongolian Football Federation
AFC President Recognition Award for Grassroots Football:
• Inspiring Member Association: Chinese Football Association
• Developing Member Association: Football Association of Singapore
• Aspiring Member Association: Palestine Football Association
AFC Futsal Player of the Year: Ali Asghar Hasanzadeh (IRN)

AFC Coach of the Year:
• Women: Asako Takakura (JPN)
• Men: Go Oiwa (JPN)
AFC Women’s Player of the Year: Wang Shuang (CHI)
AFC Player of the Year: Abdelkarim Hassan (QAT)

Awards not presented in Muscat:

AFC Referees Special Award:
Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN)

AFC Youth Player of the Year:
• Women: Saori Takarada (JPN)
• Men: Turki Al Amar (KSA)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year: Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt and JPN)

Futsal Team Melli players rule the annual AFC awards

All the nominee of AFC Futsal player of the year are Team Melli members according to the list published by AFC. In yet another unusual move, the Asian football ruling body has published a second list weeks after publishing what was thought to be the annual awards final list. Apparently there was two parts.

After a great year for Iran’s Futsal team , the three nominations is hardly a surprise with Iran winning the 3rd place in the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 recently held in Colombia. This is the highest ever futsal achievement in Asian futsal history.

The nominees are: 
AFC FUTSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  1. Ahmad Esmaeilpour (IR Iran)
  2. Aliasghar Hasanzadeh (IR Iran)                        
  3. Farhad Tavakoli (IR Iran)
FARHAD TAVAKOLI - Iran Futsal Team
FARHAD TAVAKOLI – Iran Futsal Team

Iranians referees were also  honoured after a landmark year for Asian referees
 

Asian referees have set a new benchmark for excellence in 2016, gracing some of the world’s biggest stages. In recognition for their outstanding performances, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today awarded six match officials – three men and women – with the AFC Referees Special Award 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
 
The men’s trio from the Islamic Republic of Iran – Alireza Faghani, assistant referees Reza Sokhandan, Mohammad Reza Mansouri – and the women’s team comprising Australians Kate Jacewicz, Renae Coghill and India’s Uvena Fernandes received their awards from the AFC Referees Committee Vice-Chairman, Hany Taleb Ballan Safar (Qatar) at the opening of the AFC Elite Referees and Assistant Referees Seminar taking place in the Malaysian capital.
 Alireza Faghani 3 IRN
AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “The AFC’s Vision and Mission has underlined our desire to ensure Asian players and officials succeed on the world stage. The performances of our men and women referees this year demonstrate once again our continent as a great force in world football and that our referees – both men and women – have earned global respect
 
“Their achievements serve as a testament to the progressive steps Asian football continues to undertake under the banner of One Asia, One Goal and I am confident that they will continue to do us proud in the years ahead.”
 
Faghani, Sokhandan and Mansouri made history this year as Asia’s first trio to officiate the final of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament when they took charge of the Brazil versus Germany gold medal match in August in Rio de Janeiro.
 
During the hugely successful AFC Asian Cup 2015 Australia, Faghani and Sokhandan were appointed to officiate the final match between Korea Republic and host nation Australia. The men’s trio also officiated the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup final in Tokyo, which saw Barcelona take on Argentina’s River Plate.
Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh
Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh

 

AFC President positive on Asia’s potential

Published: 27 June 2014

The 2014 FIFA World Cup can so far be succinctly summarized as one of the most intriguing World Cup in recent memory. With several big teams exiting early and some surprise packages showing their mettle unperturbed by reputations, the World Cup has been a joy to watch.

Unfortunately for the Asian confederation, the journey has come to an abrupt end. With teams closer to the locality of the competition – this time around teams from the American continents – traditionally performing well during the World Cup as evidenced in the current tournament, the players of Japan, Iran, Korea Republic and Australia had their work cut out in each of their respective groups.

Although each team gave it a go, with Australia and Iran in particular close to causing an upset against giants of world football Netherlands and Argentina, in the end the Asian teams found it hard to break down resolute opposition defences in most of their matches; and in games where they were able to do so, their own line of resistance failed.

Qualification to the next stage of the tournament may have been out of reach for the Asian teams, but AFC President, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, believes that the tournament was not a lost cause for Asian football.

“This World Cup serves as a lesson to all Asian nations. The Asian teams are rather young on average so they can only get better, but what is of particular importance now is that we stay united. We have shown time and again that we can compete with the best of the global game, and with total commitment from everyone we will definitely improve ourselves and catch up on the rest of the world,” he said.

“Asia must acknowledge its shortcomings, but at the same time we must believe in our own ability. The AFC is determined to unlock the full potential of Asian football, and that can only be achieved through hard work, dedication and unwavering support in the AFC’s efforts to have equal and sustainable football development across the continent,” he added.

Shaikh Salman further stated, “We must bring our game to the next level and there is no time to wait. Football will not slow down and nor will the rest of the world. Our brand new initiatives are planned with progress in mind, as we look to enhance the overall quality of our football, from infrastructure, commercial, competition to administration, and hopefully its effects are evident by the next World Cup”.

The 2014 World Cup might be an unpleasant experience for Asia, but all teams would do well to brush themselves off quickly as the AFC Asian Cup 2015, which will be held in Australia in January, is just around the corner.