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Korean football chiefs incensed at Park Ji-Sung snub [Tue Nov 22nd, 2005]
A decision to snub some European-based stars for the Asian player of the year award has incensed the Korean Football Association (KFA), which insists the best man should win regardless.
Manchester United's Korean star Park Ji-Sung and other European-based players have been barred from the award because they cannot travel to Malaysia to pick up the trophy -- a key Asian Football Confederation (AFC) requirement.
Park is widely considered Asia's top player after winning rave reviews since his move from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven to the English Premiership this year, but has to play a Carling Cup tie on November 30 -- the award night.
KFA general secretary Sam Hyun-Ka told AFP he had sent a letter to the AFC to complain.
"Unfortunately Park has a Carling Cup match on the same night. We have written to the AFC saying he has an important match, we are trying to get the AFC to change its position," he said from Seoul.
He acknowledged the AFC regulations, but said there should be flexibility.
"When you have good players playing outside of Asia, they must play important games. The AFC should realise that the best player should receive the award regardless of being able to attend," he said.
"I partly understand the policy but feel very sorry to see the situation we are in -- that the best player cannot receive the award."
The AFC released its shortlist of three players for the award Monday, with many of the hot tips to win missing.
Aside from Park, others who failed to make the grade included Bayern Munich star Ali Karimi, who won last year, Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura and Bolton Wanderers' Hidetoshi Nakata.
Instead the list was filled out by striker Sami Al Jaber from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, Uzbek star Maksim Shatskikh, who plays for Dynamo Kiev, and newcomer Hamad Al Montashari of Saudi Arabia.
The AFC told AFP it would reply to the Korean letter but insisted the rules must be respected.
"Our position is very clear -- we have a list of criteria which associations are very much aware of," an AFC spokeswoman said. "They have to respect the criteria."
The player of the year is chosen by national coaches from the AFC's 45 federations and AFC executive committee members.
In another controversial move, the AFC has decided this year not to honour a coach, because no one made the grade.
"The AFC coach of the year is for Asian coaches and the four teams that qualified for the World Cup -- Iran, South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia -- all have foreign coaches," the spokeswoman said.
"There weren't any Asian coaches that stood out."
Other awards to be presented on the night include national Asian team of the year, with Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea in the running.
Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates and Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia will fight it out for team of the year.
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