TASHKENT - Yuri Sarkisyan, who led Neftchi Fergana into the 2007 AFC Champions League thanks to their runners-up finish behind double winners Pakhtakor has been named Uzbekistan's coach of the year.

It is the fifth time Sarkisyan, who was at the helm of the Uzbekistan national team at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, has won the award after being named coach of the year in 2003, 2001, 1999 and 1998.

Neftchi are taking part in the AFC Champions League for the third time following qualification to the 2004 and 2005 competitions and have been drawn in Group C with 2006 runners-up Al Karama, Qatar giants Al Sadd and Al Najaf from Iraq.

Meanwhile, Pakhtakor's Server Djeparov finished third in the player of the year category behind former team-mate Alexander Geynrikh, who moved to Torpedo Moscow, and winner Maxim Shatskikh, scorer four times for Uzbekistan in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers and five times in the UEFA Champions League with Dynamo Kiev.