SoccerPulse Community > Asian Player Of 2007: Al Qahtani

Full Version: Asian Player Of 2007: Al Qahtani

SoccerPulse Community > Around The World > Asian Soccer

There's Only One United

Nov 23 2007, 11:47 PM

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has today announced the final shortlists for the prestigious awards to be held in Sydney on November 28.

Iraqi stars Nashat Akram and Younis Mahmoud, and Saudi Arabian striker Yasser Al Qahtani are the final three players in contention for the coveted AFC Player of the Year award.

The AFC Annual Awards Ceremony will take place at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney on November 28, commencing at 2000hrs (Sydney). Mark Shield is the only Aussie but i don't really like him for his performances against Adelaide as a ref so I don't know if I'll be going for him even

THE NOMINEES (in alphabetical order)

AFC YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. KAKITANI Yoichiro (Japan)
2. KIM Kum-il (DPR Korea)
3. MORISHIMA Yasuhito (Japan)

AFC FUTSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. HEIDARIAN Mohamadreza (Iran)
2. KOGURE Kenichiro (Japan)
3. SHAMSAEE Vahid (Iran)

AFC ASSISTANT REFREE OF THE YEAR

1. AL GHAMDI Mohammed Hamad S (Saudi Arabia)
2. AL MARZOUQI Saleh Mohamed Abdulla Hassan (UAE)
3. SAGARA Toru (Japan)

AFC REFEREE OF THE YEAR

1. AL FADHLI Saad Kamel (Saudi Arabia)
2. MOHD Saleh Subkhiddin (Malaysia)
3. SHIELD Mark Alexander (Australia)

AFC COACH OF THE YEAR

1. GHALENOIEE Amir (Iran)
2. INLEEV Rauf (Uzbekistan)
3. KIM Hak-Bum (Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma; Korea Republic)

AFC FAIR PLAY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

1. Japan
2. Jordan
3. Korea Republic

AFC ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

1. China PR
2. Japan
3. Vietnam

AFC FUTSAL TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. IR Iran
2. Japan
3. Uzbekistan

AFC CLUB TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. Al Wahda (UAE)
2. Sepahan (Iran)
3. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (Korea Republic)
4. Urawa Reds (Japan)

AFC NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. Iraq
2. Korea Republic
3. Saudi Arabia

AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. AKRAM Nashat (Iraq)
2. AL QAHTANI Yasser (Saudi Arabia)
3. MAHMOUD Younis (Iraq)

Cuore

Nov 24 2007, 12:04 AM

Australia needs to host the event to receive some semblance of acknowledgment.

Donny

Nov 24 2007, 12:50 AM

Australia have just been added in the AFC, plus they have only played in a few competitive events, so I am nto suprised that their players have been added in the nominations.

The top three really dont suprise me.

AKRAM to win it for me.

There's Only One United

Nov 28 2007, 03:23 AM

Don't know much details about this but if you're keen to see the awards and you can't see it on tv anywhere maybe try this option. Might only work for internet users in Australia though although I'm not certain. Ceremony starts very soon now so we'll know the winners soon.

QUOTE

Gong show on FOXSPORTS.com.au
November 28, 2007

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,2...4-23215,00.html

FOXSPORTS.com.au will broadcast the Asian Football Confederation awards ceremony in Sydney tonight live on streaming video.

Twelve trophies will be awarded, including silverware for the referee, coach and team of the year before the night concludes with the award for Asian player of the year.

Australians Mark Shield and Tim Cahill are among the contenders for the various awards, repectively for referee of the year and player of the year.

See the awards ceremony live and exclusively on FOXSPORTS.com.au from 8pm tonight.

Red Devil

Nov 28 2007, 06:16 AM

AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

is Yasser AL QAHTANI (Saudi Arabia)

saudi madridista

Nov 28 2007, 08:18 AM

SYDNEY: Saudi Arabia striker Yasser Al Qahtani was crowned the AFC Player of the Year 2007 during a glittering award ceremony held at the Hordern Pavillion here on Wednesday.

AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam presented the prestigious award to Al Qahtani, who was joint-top scorer as he skippered his side to the final of the AFC Asian Cup 2007™.

The mercurial striker paused and was at loss of words after receiving the honour but finally said: "I would like to thank the support I received this year from the federation and my club. I would like to dedicate this award to my teammates and family."

Under the AFC’s points system for determining who will walk away with the continent’s highest individual accolade for a player, Al Qahtani outscored runner-up and AFC Asian Cup 2007™ MVP Younis Mahmoud and his Iraqi counterpart Nashat Akram.

Both Younis and Nashat played key roles throughout Iraq’s victorious AFC Asian Cup 2007™ campaign and not surprisingly the reigning continental champions were rewarded with the AFC National Team of the Year award.

Lennart Johansson, who contributed significantly to the development of Asian football in his capacity as UEFA president from 1990 to 2007, was given the highest individual accolade of AFC Diamond of Asia.

“I was surprised to receive this honour and at the same time I am grateful and deeply touched,” he said after receiving the award from the AFC chief.

“I saw that there was immense potential in Asia and we, the other confederations, will have problem competing with Asia during my tenure in the UEFA. And, I was right that time. The Asian football has grown in all aspects.”

Australian Mark Shield, who officiated in Iraq’s 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the AFC Asian Cup 2007™ final was named AFC Referee of the Year while Frank Lowy, Chairman of the Football Federation of Australia presented Mohammed Hamad Al Ghamdi, from Saudi Arabia, with his AFC Assistant Referee of the Year award.

The AFC Coach of the Year Award, which is reserved exclusively for Asian nationals, went to Rauf Inileev, after the 57-year-old oversaw an impressive Uzbekistan campaign at the AFC Asian Cup 2007™.

After finishing third in 2006 Youth Player of the Year, DPR Korea’s prodigiously talented Under 20s captain Kim Kum-il took the first prize this time around, seeing off the challenge of the Japanese duo of Yasuhito Morishima and Yoichiro Kakitani.

There was better news for Japan in the AFC Club Team of the Year category, with reigning J-League champions Urawa Reds taking to coveted accolade after defeating Sepahan of Iran in the final to become the first Japanese side to claim top honours in the AFC Champions League since its introduction in 2003.

Vahid Shamsaee, who scooped his second AFC Futsal Championship MVP award as Iran beat Japan in the 2007 final, was named AFC Futsal Player of the Year, while the Iranians were also named AFC Futsal Team of the Year.

Japan's other prize of the night was the AFC Fair Play Association of the Year, while the AFC Association of the Year award was given to East Asian neighbours China.

http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewAr..._164495458.html

_____________

yasser alqahtani on youtube

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-lkNhQVkrCA

_____________

MustafaHH

Nov 28 2007, 08:38 AM

He is the MAN in Asia ...
Congratulations ...
I think he will be in an European club this winter ...

I wish the good things happened ....

and I happy to see anoher Saudi at this forum

THAnks

Mushin

Nov 28 2007, 08:55 AM

Good on him... hes a good player from what ive seen.

Well deserved... he had a strong asian cup and im sure his domestic form has been great.

_________

Nov 28 2007, 01:30 PM

QUOTE

OFFER TO TOP ASIAN STAR

The newly crowned Asian Player of the Year Yasser Al-Qahtani has landed himself a chance to train with Chelsea Football Club.

The Saudi Arabia captain, who received the award at a gala dinner in Sydney, Australia earlier today (Wednesday), has the option to come to Cobham (pictured) as part of his award resulting from the partnership between the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Chelsea FC.

That partnership, the first of its kind between a global confederation and a top European club, has as its aim the promotion and development of Asian football.

The training offer is subject to the agreement of the players' club, Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, the player himself and calendar commitments.

The 25-year-old forward played in the 2006 World Cup where he scored a goal against Tunisia and led his team to the 2007 Asian Cup Final. He is currently ranked 6th in The World's Top Goal Scorers 2007 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

Chelsea continues to build good relationships in Asia. The club supports the AFC's Vision China grass roots development project and recently held meetings in Delhi with the President and senior officials of the All Indian Football Federation.

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage...1178370,00.html

Lionel Messi

Nov 28 2007, 03:31 PM

i really wanted Younes to win it, just because he and his team achieved a great thing to their country by winning the last asian cup!

but anyway, Congrats to Yasser he's such a classy player with big talent

Nov 28 2007, 08:41 PM

Congrats to Yasser, he's a class player and will surely find a team in Europe that will give him a chance to shine brighter.

AxedByMe

Nov 29 2007, 12:13 AM

Very well deserved, he was amazing in the Asian cup and had a decent WC06 too.

saudi madridista

Nov 29 2007, 04:47 AM

thanks for all . i hope see yasser in a big club in europe like chelsea ..

at least in laliga or primer or calchio ..

Donny

Nov 29 2007, 08:28 PM

Both the threads merged. I am no suprised that Yasser Al Qahtani won, he didnt really well in the AFC Asian Cup and probably deserved it as much as the other two did but I was expecting Akram to get it. Anyway congrats to him. @ CHELSEA info, dont think it will help him much. He might get a good offer from someother club.

Bay23

Nov 30 2007, 12:47 AM

Good on him. I think he should try playing for a club in Europe that isn't Chelsea. They will never give him a chance.

MustafaHH

Nov 30 2007, 02:55 AM

Asian Player Of 2007: Good Choice, Bad System

Yasser Al-Qahtani has been named by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as the best Asian player of 2007 but while the player is a good choice, the system that gave him the prize is all wrong.

Younis Mahmoud was my choice as Iraq’s win at the Asian Cup was the story of Asian football in 2007 but Al-Qahtani is a class act and the Sniper is a worthy winner. He has been a consistent performer on the Asian football scene for the past three or four years and was fantastic in tournaments in 2007.

Football is non-stop these days and Asia is no exception – it has been a busy year. There is almost always some league action going on somewhere on the giant continent. The Asian Champions League is improving all the time and this year there was the small matter of the Asian Cup.

There has been some controversy over the Player of the Year award in recent years, most noticeably the 2005 version. That was when most of the ten players shortlisted by the governing body on the shortlist were subsequently declared ineligible when it became apparent that they would be unable to attend the Kuala Lumpur ceremony.

The following year, the AFC introduced a new points system to decide the next winner. The lucky recipient is the man who has collects the most points.

Points are collected by being named the MVP of games in certain competitions, the more important the competition, the greater the number of points – World Cup, Asian Cup, Olympic qualifiers, AFC Champions League and UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup all count.

This has been trumpeted as the most scientific and transparent system in football. It is admirably open but scientific? Not really, though in football, that is not a bad thing.

The system is based on the purely subjective process of MVP awards. The problem here is that these awards are handed out on the basis of opinion of one man, the AFC Match Commissioner. It is these people that determine who is named the Asian Player of the Year. There is nothing wrong with opinions – football is crammed with them. However, a scientific procedure it isn’t and it ignores the more beautiful side of the game.

Younis Mahmoud was great in 2007, not just for the goals that clinched the cup but also for the incredible achievements of an Iraqi team that defied the odds and united the troubled nation. He symbolised an Iraqi team that showed the power and beauty of football and propelled the Asian Cup on to front pages all around the world. It is that which should be celebrated - something that the present system is incapable of doing.

Also, performances in domestic leagues are ignored. It seems strange that the UEFA Cup and Olympic qualifiers are considered important while the bread-and-butter of Asian football such as leagues A,C,K, J as well as Iran’s Pro League and the various West Asian competitions are not. In a year containing the Asian Cup and Asian Champions League, domestic form is the not primary consideration but it shouldn’t be totally dismissed.

Perhaps then we could avoid situations like Han Dong-won’s at Seongnam. The youngster was included in the original 33-man shortlist by the AFC after a couple of great goals for South Korea’s Under-23 team during Olympic qualifying earned him both plaudits and points. However, back in the K-League he made the starting eleven just once for his club during the whole season. A couple more crackers on the road to Beijing and Han would have been a serious contender.

And, yes, the whole chestnut of attending the ceremony is a big problem. This rule makes travelling to one dinner in a tuxedo more important that an entire year of showing skills in a soccer shirt.

Not only does the philosophy present problems, the practicalities do too. Players can earn points from being named as MVPs in Europe’s Champions League but the kind of players that star in those games and win such awards are hardly likely to be allowed by their clubs to travel to Sydney in the middle of a busy week of European football (one that includes a full Champions League program).

The AFC can’t have it both ways - either allow the European-based players to win or restrict the prize to Asian-based stars.

There is no perfect way to choose the best player of the year but even the system dropped by the body two years ago was superior with coaches of all the national teams in the confederation, as well as others involved in the Asian game, getting a vote.

At least then we could focus on arguing about the player rather than the way in which he is chosen.

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=496803

Donny

Nov 30 2007, 03:05 AM

Thats true and I think Al Qahtani will be intelligent enough not to join them if they give him a offer.

Donny

Nov 30 2007, 03:12 AM

That is a real nice read, I think the writter has got a few points spot on.

What I believe is that we all live in a age where we have television sets, internet and modern facilities available to us. If fellow asian ares playing abroad that everyone can keep track of how they are doing. Very suprising that performances in the asian leagues from the players are ignored. I was not aware of that and it is quite shocking to be honest.

The player of the year award is always controversial and even this year there are things being written about it and I am really not suprised about it.

MustafaHH

Nov 30 2007, 03:13 AM

I hope so ...

there is some news say that Midlesoubrgh want him ...
I wish is this true...

Donny

Nov 30 2007, 03:16 AM

Boro are in a real bad position at the moment. They cant seem to score a goal now. After selling Yakubu and Viduka they have been able to find someone who will score the goals for them. Yasser Al Qahtani will certainly give them something more in front of the goal. Wont be the worst deals for both the parties.

This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.