Al Shamrani named AFC player of the year

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Saudi striker Nassir Al Shamrani won the Asian Football Confederation player of the year award at the 60th anniversary celebrations on Sunday night.

The 31-year-old Al Shamrani was top scorer or joint-top scorer in five of the past seven seasons in Saudi Arabia's first division. He scored 10 goals in the Asian Champions League this season for Saudi club Al Hilal, which finished runner-up to the Western Sydney Wanderers. The Wanderers were voted team of the year, and Western Sydney's Tony Popovic won the coach of the year honors.

There was some controversy about the Asian Cup final as Al-Shamrani, who becomes the first Saudi winner since 2005, spat at Australian defender Matthew Spiranovic after the final whistle. He was facing a sanction when the awards were announced on Sunday night.

"I am proud to win the AFC Player of the Year Award," he said. "Regarding to the possible ban, I want to say I am living for today. I am not thinking anything else. I am proud of myself that I am the best male player of the year in Asia. Anything else, it will be decided by AFC."

Al Shamrani, who beat Ismail Ahmed of the United Arab Emirates' Al Ain and Khalfan Ibrahim of Qatari club Al Sadd for the award, said he wanted to take his scoring form to another level.

"I am the top scorer in the domestic league and the second best scorer in the AFC Champions League. And now I am looking forward to being the top scorer in the Asian Cup in Australia next year," he said. "That is the position I want to be. As a good player, there is no limit for me."

Australians picked up three important individual awards, with Katrina Lee Gorry named as AFC women's player of the year, Crystal Palace midfielder voted as the AFC's International Player of the year and 41-year-old Popovic becoming the first from his country to win the continental coaching award.

"We are a very young club just over two years old, and it is our first attempt at the AFC Champions League and we have won it," he said. "It is a special achievement that will go down in history and just the resilience of the group, the belief when you think that it wouldn't be possible to get through the group stages, here we are where we have won the AFC Champions League. This is recognition for great work that everyone has done."

The Palestinian team was voted national team of the year after beating the Philippines 1-0 the AFC Challenge Cup final to qualify for the Asian Cup, which kicks off in Australia on Jan. 9.