Kuala Lumpur: AFC has announced the final five nominees for the coveted 2010 AFC Player of the Year award.

AFC Champions League winners Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma captain Sasa Ognenovski and defender Farshid Talebi, of runners-up Zob Ahan, are on the list alongside Esteghlal striker Farhad Majidi, Bader Al Mutawa, hitman for AFC Cup finalists Al Qadsia, and midfielder Husain Salman, of Bahraini outfit Al Riffa.
The list does not include those candidates who have expressed their inability to attend the awards gala – a key criterion.
The winner will be announced during the gala, which will be held at the Sunway Hotel Resort and Spa on November 24, 2010, in Kuala Lumpur.
Ognenovski piloted the Korean outfit to the title in Tokyo last weekend when they defeated Zob Ahan 3-1 in the final while Talebi’s rock solid defence saw the rank outsiders from Iran defy the odds and make it to the summit clash.
Al Mutawa, who missed out on the honour in 2006 by finishing second to Qatar’s Khalfan Ibrahim, played a key role in Al Qadsia’s march to the AFC Cup final. The Kuwaitis lost to eventual champions Al Ittihad of Syria 4-2 on penalties.
Esteghlal failed to cross the last 16 hurdle in the 2010 AFC Champions League but Majidi stood out with his performance while Husain Salman’s brilliant efforts saw Al Riffa reach the semi-finals of the AFC Cup before going down to Al Qadsia.
Japan’s Homare Sawa would be aiming to retain the AFC Women’s Player of the Year trophy as the 2008 winner has been nominated again alongwith Australia’s Kathryn Anne Gill, who played a stellar role in her side’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup triumph, and runners-up DPR Korea’s Jo Yun-mi. AFC Women’s Player of the Year award was not given last year.
Mohammad Taheri, who guided Iran to a record 10th continental futsal crown has been named in the list of nominees for the AFC Futsal Player of the Year honour along with Rustam Umarov (Uzbekistan) and Vahid Shamsaee (Iran).
The AFC Youth Player of the Year award will be contested between Timur Khakimov (Uzbekistan), Jong Il-gwan (DPR Korea) and Hong Chul (Korea Republic).
Korea Republic’s Yeo Min-ji, who helped her side clinch the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup winning both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards, will compete with the Korea Republic U-20 team’s Ji So-yun, and Japan U-17 ace Kumi Yokoyama for the AFC Women’s Youth Player of the Year award.
Japan’s Takeshi Okada, Korea Republic’s Huh Jung-moo and AFC Champions League winners Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma tactician Shin Tae-yong have been nominated for the AFC Coach of the Year honours, while Mozafar Shahrzad (Iran), Kim Tae-hee (Korea Republic) and Ri Ae-gyong (DPR Korea) are in the fray for AFC Women’s Coach of the Year award.
Uzbekistan’s Ravshan Irmatov will be looking to make it three-in-a-row as he is one of the nominees for the AFC Referee of the Year award along with Japan’s Yuichi Nishimura and Saudi Arabia’s Khalil Al Ghamdi.
Korea Republic’s Hong Eun-ah, who won the AFC Women’s Referee of the Year accolade last year, will again be in the running for the honour this year alongside Japan’s Sachiko Yamagishi and Thailand’s Kamnueng Pannipar.
LIST OF NOMINEES (in alphabetical order)
AFC DIAMOND OF ASIA
Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak (Prime Minister of Malaysia)
AFC DREAM ASIA AWARD
Dato’ Sri Dr. Chung Mong-joon Dr Kwak Chung-hwan Football Federation Australia
AFC MEMBER ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR
Football Federation Australia IR Iran Football Federation Japan Football Association
AFC FAIR PLAY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR
China Football Association IR Iran Football Federation Japan Football Association
AFC CLUB OF THE YEAR
Al Ittihad (Syria) Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (Korea Republic) Zob Ahan (Iran)
AFC FUTSAL TEAM OF THE YEAR
Iran Japan Uzbekistan
AFC NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR
Australia Japan Korea Republic
AFC WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR
Australia DPR Korea Korea Republic U-17
AFC ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Bahadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan) Rafael Ilyasov (Uzbekistan) Toru Sagara (Japan)
AFC WOMEN’S ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Ho Sarah May Yee (Australia) Kim Kyong-min (Korea Republic) Shiho Ayukai (Japan)
AFC REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia) Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)
AFC WOMEN’S REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Hong Eun-ah (Korea Republic) Kamnueng Pannipar (Thailand) Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)
AFC MATCH COMMISSIONER OF THE YEAR
Abdul Ghafoor Abdul Hameed (Maldives) Col. Goutam Kar (India) Talal A. Syailmyeen (Jordan)
AFC WOMEN’S MATCH COMMISSIONER OF THE YEAR
Emily Lau Cheuk Chi (Hong Kong) Eugenie Buckley (Australia) Nazreen Banu (Singapore)
AFC COACH OF THE YEAR
Huh Jung-moo (Korea Republic/Korea Republic national team) Shin Tae-yong (Korea Republic/Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma club) Takeshi Okada (Japan/Japan national team)
AFC WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR
Kim Tae-hee (Korea Republic women’s U-17 team assistant coach) Ri Ae-gyong (DPR Korea women’s national team assistant coach) Shahrzad Mozafar  (Iran women’s national team coach)
AFC YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hong Chul (Korea Republic) Jong Il-gwan (DPR Korea) Timur Khakimov (Uzbekistan)
AFC WOMEN’S YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ji So-yun (Korea Republic) Kumi Yokoyama (Japan) Yeo Min-ji (Korea Republic)
AFC FUTSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mohammad Taheri (Iran) Rustam Umarov (Uzbekistan) Vahid Shamsaee (Iran)
AFC WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Homare Sawa (Japan) Jo Yun-mi (DPR Korea) Kathryn Anne Gill (Australia)
AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bader Al Mutawa (Kuwait/Al Qadsia, Kuwait) Farhad Majidi (Iran/ Esteghlal, Iran) Farshid Talebi (Iran/ Zob Ahan, Iran) Husain Salman (Bahrain/ Al Riffa, Bahrain) Sasa Ognenovski (Australia/ Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, Korea Republic)
(Source : AFC)
Caption : Bader Al Mutawa, Farhad Majidi, Farshid Talebi, Husain Salman and Sasa Ognenovski will vie for the coveted 2010 AFC Player of the Year award