Lee Keun-ho, Aya Miyama scoop top AFC awards

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia, Nov 29: Lee Keun-ho and Aya Miyama scooped the AFC Player of the Year and AFC Women’s Player of the Year awards at a glittering ceremony on Thursday.

Lee put in a series of exceptional performances for club and country throughout the year but it was his exceptional displays for Ulsan Hyundai in the 2012 AFC Champions League that helped the 27-year-old attacker claim Asian football’s highest individual accolade ahead of Iran legend Ali Karimi and China’s Zheng Zhi.

Miyama won this accolade for the second successive year after the 27-year old’s influential performances helped the Nadeshiko claim silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics.

Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa (Japan) was chosen as the AFC Asian International Player of the Year while AFC Cup champions Kuwait SC’s Brazilian striker Rogerio De Assis Silva Coutinho won the AFC Foreign Player of the Year award.

The prestigious AFC Diamond of Asia award was presented posthumously to former AFC President and Malaysian sports icon Datuk Seri Setia Raja Tan Sri Hamzah Haji Abu Samah.

AFC ANNUAL AWARDS 2012 – Winners List

AFC DIAMOND OF ASIA: Datuk Seri Setia Raja Tan Sri Hamzah Haji Abu Samah

AFC DREAM ASIA AWARD: United Arab Emirates Football Association (UAE)

AFC MEMBER ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR: IR Iran Football Federation

AFC FAIR PLAY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR: Uzbekistan Football Federation

AFC CLUB OF THE YEAR: Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic)

AFC FUTSAL TEAM OF THE YEAR: Iran

AFC NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (MEN): Korea Olympic Team

AFC NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (WOMEN): Japan Olympic Team

AFC ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN): Rasulov Abdukhamidullo (Uzbekistan)

AFC ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN): Kim Kyoung Min (Korea Republic)

AFC REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN): Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)

AFC REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN): Yamagishi Sachiko (Japan)

AFC COACH OF THE YEAR (MEN): Kim Ho Gon (Korea Republic)

AFC COACH OF THE YEAR (WOMEN): Takemoto Asako (Japan)

AFC FUTSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rafael Henmi (Japan)

AFC YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN): Mohanad Abdulraheem Karrar (Iraq)

AFC YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN):Shibata Hanae (Japan)

AFC ASIAN INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shinji Kagawa (Japan) – Manchester United, England

AFC FOREIGN PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rogerio De Assis Silva Coutinho (Brazil) – Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

AFC WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aya Miyama (Japan)

AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lee Keun-ho (Korea Republic). —- AFC