(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fawad Hussain
|
The Peninsula
Doha: Qatari playmaker Akram Afif made history yesterday becoming the first player from his country to be crowned Asian Player of the Year at the AFC Annual Awards 2023 in Seoul.
Qatar celebrated another accolade at the stunning Grand Peace Palace, as the Qatar football Association (QFA) was honoured with the Asian Cup Host Appreciation award for hosting the best-ever Asian Cup earlier this year.
Afif, who also won in 2019, secured the award ahead of Jordan's Yazan Al Naimat and South Korean Seol Young-woo.
He joined Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata and Uzbekistan's Server Djeparov as the third player to win this award more than once.
Afif led Qatar to their second successive Asian Cup title scoring eight goals including the first ever hat-trick in the final of the continental showpiece at home.
His remarkable performance earned him both the Player of the Tournament title and the Golden Boot.
The flamboyant forward, who will turn 28 on November 18, also helped Al Sadd claim a domestic double – Qatar Stars League and Amir Cup trophies.
He netted 26 goals and provided 11 assists in 22 league games.
“I want to thank my wife, teammates and all the national team coaches and administrative staff. It's not easy to win the award for second time but now I will try my best to win this award for a third time,” Afif said after receiving his award from FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“This second award is not the end of the road for me and the goal now is to keep working hard for a third one,” he added.
QFA President Jassim Rashid Al Buenain, meanwhile, received the Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award from AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
Qatar hosted a memorable AFC Asian Cup 2023 dubbed the greatest-ever edition of the tournament.
Taking place at nine world-class stadiums, including seven venues that hosted the historic 2022 World Cup, the 24-nation tournament set numerous records, including crowd attendance across 51 matches, with more than 1.5 million supporters showcasing their fervour for their teams.
“We are honoured to receive the Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award, which reflects our success in hosting the tournament and acknowledges the tremendous efforts of all involved,” said Al Buenain.
Minister of Sports and Youth H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani praised Afif's remarkable achievement and Qatar's exceptional organisation of the Asian Cup in a congratulatory message.
This award is an achievement for Qatari youth and the distinguished position they have reached in the sports field.
This achievement is the result of the continuous support provided by the State of Qatar to the development and brilliance of its youth, H E Sheikh Hamad said.
The Minister of Sports and Youth added the Asian Cup Host Appreciation expresses the growing confidence that the AFC has in QFA.
Qatar Olympic Committee President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani said in a post on X:“We are proud of the individual and collective achievements of our champions and sports institutions at the continental and international levels, which prove the level of efficiency in the national sports system. On this occasion, we congratulate our national team captain Akram Afif for winning the Best Player in Asia Award for the second time for the year 2023, and we also congratulate the Qatar Football Association for winning the Host Country Appreciation Award for the 2023 Asian Cup.”
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