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The fact Australia failed to land a nomination in the first shortlist of 15 for the Asian Player of the Year awards should come as no major surprise. Josh Kennedy should arguably have been in contention, but even his exploits in Japan are yet to win over the AFC.
Players from Iran (3), South Korea (3) and Japan (2) figured, while Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, China, UAE, Uzbekistan and Iraq were also nominated.
It should be noted the reigning Asian Player of the Year in the men’s and women’s category are Sasa Ognenovski and Kate Gill respectively.
Ognenovski’s triumph last year is instructive, and not only because it dispels the myth of an Asian Football Confederation conspiracy against Australia.
The popular central defender accumulated many of his Most Valuable Player points en route to lifting the AFC Champions League title with his South Korean side Seongnam Ilhwa.
However, had Ognenovski not picked up a calf injury which kept him out of action in the immediate build-up to the ceremony, he wouldn’t have won the award.
By now, we should all be aware of the ruling which prevents those who cannot attend the awards ceremony from being crowned AFC Player of the Year.
That rule will change over time with concerted pressure from media and fans, but for now it’s the system in place and it’s one which benefited Ognenovski last year.
Even so, he is yet to complete his dream move to Europe, suggesting there’s little cachet in winning the award in terms of setting up a move to higher quality league.
Josh Kennedy could perhaps feel a little hard done by at failing to pick up a nomination this year, after he finished joint top scorer in the J. League last season alongside Jubilo Iwata striker Ryoichi Maeda.
Maeda also missed out on a nomination but unlike Kennedy, he actually played and scored for Japan at the Asian Cup, whereas Kennedy missed the continental showdown by choice as he took time out to try and overcome a stubborn back injury.
In doing so, he missed the chance to accumulate further MVP points in an Asian competition – although Maeda’s omission suggests even that has little bearing on the overall winner.
Instead it’s Keisuke Honda and Takashi Inui who fly the flag for Japan: the former thanks to his virtuoso performances in the Asian Cup, the latter mainly due to his stellar form at former club Cerezo Osaka.
Honda’s nomination, along with those of Server Djeparov, Mohammed Noor, Ismail Matar, Younis Mahmood and to a certain extent Koo Ja-Cheol, highlight the fact ‘big names’ tend to steal the limelight in Asian football.
Indeed, the same names often pop up for these awards, partly because those voting are enamoured with the glitz and glamour of goalscorers and players like Honda who ply their trade on a big European stage.
Another round of candidates will be named next month, but even if Australia fails to garner a nomination, Ognenovski’s triumph last year is proof our Asian neighbours are taking note.
And that will continue as long as players like Joel Griffiths, Luke DeVere and Alex Brosque continue to excel at Asian clubs.
Some fans and critics suggested it was a good thing Australia failed to win the Asian Cup at the first attempt because it would have cheapened the tournament’s value.
But the tournament hopefully also proved Asian footballers are no mugs, and some of those shortlisted for the award – Honda, Koo, Djeparov – were key players for their respective nations.
There’s no reason for Australians to worry about the lack of a nomination in the AFC Player of the Year awards.
It may take time for Australia to win over the rest of the continent, but hosting a successful Asian Cup in 2015 will help, as will continued outstanding performances from Australian players in Asian leagues.
The future of Australian football is undeniably Asian, and a largely ceremonial Player of the Year title is not going to change that.