Opinion

Crazy Kerr omission strengthens case for Asian award reform

It was unfortunate timing that in the same week that Sam Kerr’s decision to disappoint a whole host of suitors from around the world and join Chelsea was announced, that the Australian star’s name was absent from the shortlist of three players to be named as the AFC Women’s International Player of the Year.

Sam Kerr

Source: Getty Images

The criteria used for the women’s award was, last year at least, “The award given to an outstanding player who has produced consistently high-quality performances in AFC and/or FIFA competitions based on feedback from the Technical Study Group.”  

It’s all very opaque when it is clear what Kerr has done this year.

There have been 11 goals for her country, four of which came at the World Cup.

She swept the board at the North American Women’s Soccer League awards, winning both golden boot and league MVP and was named as the international player of the year at the prestigious ESPY awards handed out by ABC in the United States.

She ended the 2018-19 Australian season as top scorer. It’s all phenomenal stuff and it beggars belief that her name is not among the three, well, almost beggars belief.

Asian awards have been problematic for years. 

Criticising the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for their shortlists to be the Player of the Year can be a little too easy sometimes.

This is partly because you can’t please everyone, there are always going to be people upset that their favourite is absent, regardless of the three names chosen and partly because the decisions are often a little baffling.

Such awards should create debate but there is healthy debate and unhealthy debate. Too often it has been the latter.

The real problems started in 2005 when Hamad Al Montashari got the award for helping Al Ittihad win the AFC Champions League. 

There was a big outcry, especially in South Korea, when Park Ji-sung was overlooked.

Just a few days before the announcement, the rumours started that Park, who had just joined Manchester United after being influential in PSV Eindhoven’s thrilling run to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League and was also starring in South Korea’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup, would not --as everyone expected -- win the prize.  

The reason was, and this had to be initially dragged out of the AFC, was that Park would not be attending the ceremony as United had a League Cup tie with West Bromich Albion.

The AFC understandably did not want their main prize to be handed to Park’s dad and came up with a new rule that if you didn’t make the journey then there would be no award. 

The criticism resulted in the eventual introduction of a separate international award, a good idea, and also, a bad one-- the system of choosing male nominees based on a convoluted points system.

If you won MVP awards in certain AFC competitions --the bigger the game, the more points available --then you could find yourself on a stage in a major Asian city and being presented with a trophy. 

There were many problems. Some competitions were ignored, MVP awards in the AFC matches are often given out without much thought and often to the player who scores the winning goal, and having just a couple of decent games could be enough. 

The AFC should follow FIFA for both the award for both men and women. Just get national team coaches and captains and leading journalists from each country of Asia to give their top three (and they could not vote for compatriots).  

This would be transparent and easy to follow and it would just be more fun.

It would not end the debate of who was deserving to win --that is never going to happen and some debate is healthy and necessary --but it would be a decision made from within Asian football.

It would make the AFC’s job easier too as it would not be their decision. 

The omission of Sam Kerr is just further evidence that the AFC awards need to change.


Share
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service. Read more about Sport
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Sport
4 min read
Published 16 November 2019 10:16pm
By John Duerden
Source: SBS The World Game

Tags

Share this with family and friends