On 29th October 2024, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Forward(attacker) and South Korean Son Heung-min (32 year-old) was named as Asia’s International Player of the Year for the fourth time by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) during 28th edition of AFC Annual Award ceremony held at the iconic Grand Peace Palace at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea.
- Earlier, he won this honour in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
- Also,Matildas fullback Ellie Carpenter, a key player for Australia’s national women’s football team, who plays for French club Lyon, won the inaugural Asian International Women’s Player of the Year Award.
- Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich Football club won the AFC’s 2022 Asia’s International Player of the Year.
About Son Heung-min:
i.Son, who captains both Tottenham F.C and South Korea, is the most successful Asian player in the Premier League, scoring 123 goals and assisting 64 more since joining the Tottenham in 2015.
- He also won the Golden Boot for the 2021-22 season, thus becoming the 1st Asian player to do so.
ii.He won the gold medal for representing South Korean team under-23 at the 2018 Asian Games in which he assisted both goals in a 2-1 win against Japan in the final match.
iv.He became the 6th player to reach the 150-goal mark for the Tottenham club in September 2023 and scored his 200th goal across all European competitions in October 2023.
About Ellie Carpenter:
i.She has represented the Matildas in 3 Olympic Games and at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, which led the team to qualify for the semifinals for the 1st time.
ii.She moved to Lyon Club in 2020 and has won 6 major trophies for the club so far, which includes 2 top division titles and as many UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies.
Key Highlights of AFC Awards 2023:
The 28th edition of AFC Annual Award and awards were presented in 21 categories including 3 newly introduced categories: AFC Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award, AFC President’s Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution and the AFC International Player of the Year (Women).
i.AFC Player of the Year award– Akram Afif, 27 year old player from Qatar, was conferred with the AFC Player of the Year award for 2023. He became the 1st player from Qatar to win the award twice; he had previously won the award in 2019.
- He played a pivotal role in Qatar’s successful defence of their Asian Cup title in February, 2024. He became the 1st player to score a hat-trick in the Asia Cup final and finished the tournament as top scorer with 8 goals.
- Also, he became only the 3rd player to win the award more than once after Hidetoshi Nakata of Japan (1997, 1998) and Server Djeparov of Uzbekistan (2008, 2011).
ii.AFC Women’s Player of the Year award – Kiko Seike (28 year old) player from Japan, was named as the AFC Women’s Player of the Year award for 2023. With this, she became the 5th Japanese player to win this honour.
- She won the award in recognition of her terrific performance in WE League with a staggering haul of 20 goals and 10 assists from 22 games, contributing to just more than half of Urawa Red Diamond Ladies goals which led them to win the league title for a second consecutive time.
iv.AFC Coach of the Year (Women) – Park Youn-Jeong, a former centre back South Korean player was conferred with the AFC Coach of the Year (Women) award for year 2023. She became the 2nd coach from South Korea to win the award after Kim Tae-hee in 2010.
- She received the award in recognition of her achievements with the South Korea U-20 women’s team.
v.AFC Coach of the Year (Men) – Japan’s Go Oiwa won the coach of the Year for men title after leading Japan to won the AFC Under-23 (U-23) Asian Cup held in May 2024 in Qatar against Uzbekistan to lift the trophy for 2nd time.
- Also, he became the 1st individual ever to win AFC Coach of the Year (Men) for two times.
vi.AFC Diamond of Asia – Gianni Infantino, President of Interntional Federation of Association Football (FIFA) was bestowed with AFC Diamond of Asia award, the most prestigious AFC award, presented by AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa. This award was given to him in recognition of his exceptional contribution towards the development and promotion of Asian football.
- With this, FIFA President Infantino became the 17th recipient of this award which is given annually to an individual for his/her outstanding contribution towards the development and promotion of football, either on or off field within the Asia region and winner is selected by the AFC Executive Committee.
vi.AFC President’s Recognition Award -The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has won the inaugural AFC President’s Recognition Award.
- Also, Qatar Football Association (QFA) was conferred with the 1st-ever AFC Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award.
2023 AFC Award winners :
| Awards | Winners |
|---|---|
| International Player of the Year | Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur, South Korea) |
| Women’s International Player of the Year | Ellie Carpenter (Matildas, Australia) |
| Player of the Year | Akram Afif (Qatar) |
| Women’s Player of the Year | Kiko Seike (Japan) |
| Coach of the Year (Women) | Park Youn-Jeong (South Korea) |
| Coach of the Year (Men) | Go Oiwa (Japan) |
| Diamond of Asia | Gianni Infantino (FIFA President) |
| President’s Recognition Award | Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) |
| Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award | Qatar Football Association (QFA) |
| President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football (Gold) | Football Australia |
| President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football (Silver) | All India Football Federation (AIFF) |
| President’s Recognition Award (Bronze) | Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) |
India’s AIFF Receives AFC President’s Recognition Award(Silver) for Grassroots Football
On October 29, 2024, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was honoured with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football (Silver) at the AFC Annual Awards 2023 in Seoul, South Korea.
- This recognition follows the Bronze award received by the AIFF at the AFC Annual Awards 2022 held in Doha, Qatar.
- AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football ‘Gold’ won by Football Australia for the 3rd time(2016, 2022 & 2023).
- AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football ‘Bronze’ won by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) for the second time(2015 & 2023).
Key Remarks from AIFF President:
i.Kalyan Chaubey, President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), accepted the award and highlighted the pivotal role of the Khelo India initiative, which was launched under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
- This nationwide program has significantly boosted football in 90 cities, with the AIFF playing a key role in 87 Khelo India football events, further advancing grassroots development.
iii.Additionally, he emphasized the importance of the FIFA-All India Football Federation (AIFF) Academy in Bhubaneswar, Odisha a vital part of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Talent Development Scheme, in shaping the future of football talent in India.
- He also acknowledged the contributions of Arsène Wenger, the football legend, and credited the AFC coaches’ education programs for their significant support in advancing grassroots football.
AIFF’s Blue Cubs Initiative:
i.The AIFF’s Blue Cubs initiative, launched on October 17, 2023, aimed at engaging 35 million children by 2026, was recognized as a game-changer for football in India.
ii.It is powered by strong collaborations with Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, local governing bodies, and non-profit organizations (NPOs).
About All India Football Federation (AIFF):
The AIFF is the governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), Government of India (GoI).
President- Kalyan Chaubey
Vice-President– Nalapad Ahmed (N.A.) Haris
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established-1937
About Asian Football Confederation (AFC):
President- Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa
Headquarters- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Established- 1954
