Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuala Lumpur: Another stellar showing from Iran's Mohamad Keshavarz has seen the 2011 AFC Futsal Player of the Year back in contention for the coveted award but the Sanaye Giti Pasand star faces stiff competition from the equally impressive Rafael Henmi and Suphawut Thueanklang.
Keshavarz won last year's accolade following his MVP-winning display for former club Shahid Mansouri at the 2011 AFC Futsal Club Championship but being named the best player in a tournament does not always guarantee the AFC honour, with a number of other factors also taken into consideration.
Henmi is also no stranger to receiving MVP awards having emerged as the top player at the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship with a goal-a-game ratio and a series of standout performances for the victorious Japanese team to claim the individual accolade for a second time after being named the player of the tournament at the 2010 AFC Futsal Championship in Thailand
Henmi also made an outstanding contribution to Nagoya Oceans' 2012 AFC Fustal Club Championship campaign, where the Japanese champions reached the semi-finals before bowing out to Uzbekistan's Ardus.
The third contender for the prestigious 2012 AFC Futsal Player of the Year Award is the skilful Suphawut, who was an influential figure as Thailand caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of the AFC Futsal Championship when he scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals of UAE 2012 to knockout ten-time champions Iran and set-up a title decider with Japan.
The 24-year old, who scored seven times at the continental tournament, also represented GH Bank in the AFC Club Futsal Championship 2012.
The winner of the AFC Futsal Player of the Year prize will be revealed at the 2012 AFC Annual Award Ceremony which will take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on November 29.