LAHORE, Nov 19: Chairperson of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s Women’s Wing Robina Irfan leaves for the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to attend the second Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Annual Awards 2008 to be held at the JW Marriot Hotel the same evening.

“Women’s football is arguably the fastest growing sport in Asia and it is high time that women practitioners of the game received some recognition,” said Robina, who is also Balochistan’s Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs along with being the mother of Raheela, Sohaila and Shahlyla who represented Balochistan in the National Women’s soccer tournament.

The current holder Ri Kum-suk (DPR Korea) and Japanese players Homare Sawa and Aya Miyama have been nominated for the Women’s Player of the Year Award.

Meanwhile, Asian champions DPR Korea, runners-up China and the third-placed team Japan will vie for the National Team of the Year award while DPR Korea’s Kim Kwang-min, China’s Shang Ruihua and Japan’s Norio Sasaki have been nominated for the Coach of the Year award.

In order to decide which governing body has done the most to contribute to the development of women’s football in their respective countries, Jordan, Vietnam and Australia are running for the title of AFC Association of the Year. AFC Women’s Referee of the Year features Japan’s Sachiko Baba, India’s Bentla D’Coth and Thailand’s Pannipar Kamnueng.

The Women’s Youth Player of the Year award will be contested by Japan’s Mana Iwabuchi, Ho Un Byol and Jon Myong Hwa of DPR Korea.

Meanwhile, Mary Catherine Rivilla of the Philippines, Thanh Ha Nguyen of Vietnam, and Singapore’s Julie Teo are in contention for the AFC Women’s Match Commissioner of the Year award.—Agencies