Three Iranians shortlisted for Player of the Year award

GOAL – KUALA LUMPUR, The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has revealed its 15-man shortlist for the region’s Player of the Year award.

Among the contenders are Japanese 2011 Asian Cup MVP Keisuke Honda, Korean Asian Cup topscorer Koo Ja-Cheol and former winner Server Djeparov of Uzbekistan.

Korea and Iran have the most candidates in the shortlist with three apiece, while Japan have two, with Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, Jordan, Syria and Uzbekistan having one each.

Australia, who boasted last year’s winner Sasa Ognenovski, have no representatives in the shortlist despite reaching the final of the Asian Cup earlier this year.

The AFC Player of the Year award will be announced on November 23 at a grand ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

Before then, the shortlist will be shortened down again next month.

Candidates for AFC Player of the Year as follows:

Deng Zhouxiang (China), Farhad Majidi (Iran), Firas Al Khatib (Syria), Ghasem Hadadifar (Iran), Ha Tae-Goon (Korea Republic), Hadi Aghili (Iran), Hasan Abdel Fattah (Jordan), Ismail Matar (UAE), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Koo Ja-Cheol (Korea Republic), Mohammed Noor (Saudi Arabia), Server Djeparov (Uzbekistan), Takashi Inui (Japan), Yeom Ki-Hun (Korea Republic), Younus Mahmoud (Iraq)