Australia, Postecoglou nominated for AFC awards

Asian Cup winners Australia and their head coach Ange Postecoglou are among the nominees to collect AFC Annual Awards for 2015.

Australia earned their first piece of major silverware by beating South Korea in the Asian Cup final on home soil in Sydney in January, leading to a Coach of the Year nomination for Postecoglou.

The Socceroos, together with the beaten finalists and FIFA Under-20 World Cup quarter-finalists Uzbekistan, are the three contenders for the men’s National Team of the Year accolade.

China’s Zheng Zhi, Ahmed Khalil of the United Arab Emirates and his international team-mate Omar Abdulrahman have been nominated for the men’s Player of the Year award.

Son Heung-min, who has impressed since joining Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in August, is a strong candidate to win International Player of the Year for Asian players based outside the confederation. Son is up against a compatriot in Swansea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, as well as Massimo Luongo, who earned a move to QPR from Swindon Town after starring for Australia at the Asian Cup.

Ricardo Goulart of AFC Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao and his fellow Brazilian Everton Ribeiro, who plays for beaten finalists Al-Ahli, are, together with Kitchee’s Spaniard Juan Belencoso, vying for Foreign Player of the Year.

World Cup finalists Japan are the favourites to win the women’s National Team of the Year prize.