The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the AFC Annual Awards 2014 in Manila, the Philippines, on the 30th November. At the ceremony to celebrate AFC’s 60th anniversary, teams and players from the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) were honoured in many sections.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the AFC Annual Awards 2014 in Manila, the Philippines, on the 30th November. At the ceremony to celebrate AFC’s 60th anniversary, teams and players from the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) were honoured in many sections.
The Korea Football Association (Korea Republic) won the Fair Play Association of the Year award. Fans’ manner and supporters’ behaviour in the stadiums as well as fair play by the players of their national and club teams in the matches organized by the AFC were comprehensively appreciated. Arguably, a men’s gold medal and a women’s bronze medal in the Asian Games were recognised as the results of the fair play spirit.
AFC Hall of Fame newly created
Also from Korea Republic, Hong Myung-Bo entered the newly-created AFC Hall of Fame, with his achievement as an attack-minded, long-standing centre-back and a national coach rediscovered.
From Japan, two legends were inducted into the AFC Hall of Fame: Yasuhiko Okudera and Homare Sawa.
Okudera, who played in the German Bundesliga during the late 1970s and the 1980s, expressed his delight, saying: “It’s like a dream to be among the first members of the Hall of Fame.”Meanwhile, Sawa, boasting the most caps as a Japan women’s international and the only active player inducted this time.
In Japan’s women’s football, the U-17 national team won the National Team of the Year (Women) award after conquering the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2014. Individually, their coach Asako Takemoto Takakura and the Golden Ball winner Hina Sugita claimed the Coach of the Year (Women) and Youth Player of the Year (Women) awards, respectively.
Additionally, the Diamond of Asia award for honouring a person who has made a considerable contribution to the development of Asian football was granted to Junji Ogura, honorary chairman of the JFA
There are also EAFF teams and players who had been nominated but narrowly missed awards. The DPR Korea U-16 men’s national team was a nominee for National Team of the Year (Men) after winning the AFC U-16 Championship Thailand 2014. Gao Hong, who led the China U-17 women’s national team in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, had been nominated as Coach of the Year (Women).
Teams and players of the EAFF member associations continued to make achievements at various tournaments in 2014 and are expected to be more successful in 2015.
