NEW DELHI: Jeje Lalpekhlua has been nominated as the ‘2016 AIFF Player of the Year.’ The announcement was made by Mr. Praful Patel, President, AIFF at the AIFF Annual General Body Meeting held at the AIFF Football House in New Delhi on Wednesday (December 21, 2016).
He will be presented a prize of Rs. 2.5 lakh along with with the glittering Trophy.
An elated Jeje mentioned that he was “honoured” on being chosen as the ‘2016 AIFF Player of the Year.’
“This year has really gone great for me. This award is another motivation for me to reap more in the future,” he stated.
Furthermore, Sasmita Malik was conferred with the 2016 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year. The Odisha-based footballer will be bestowed with a prize of Rs. 2 lakh besides a Trophy.
“I thank the AIFF for their constant support and help. I revere the Awards lauded to me by the AIFF a lot and these are the things which matter the most to you as a Player,” she said.
AIFF inducts two ‘2016 AIFF Award for Special Recognition’ awards for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Uvena Fernandes. They will be bestowed with Rs. 1 lakh and a trophy apiece.
Gurpreet represented Stabaek FC in the Europa League, first Indian to feature in a Europa League fixture whereas Uvena Fernandes is the first Indian Official to officiate in a World Cup final match. She officiated the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2016 final in Jordan.
Meanwhile, Rowllin Borges was declared as the ‘2016 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year.’
“As a Player, it’s my duty to give my best. Being conferred with such an Award means a lot to me. The recognition motivates me further,” he maintained.
Sanju, an integral part of the team who won the South Asian Games 2016, was being honoured with the ‘2016 AIFF Emerging Women Footballer of the Year’ award.
“I am in loss of words having received the news of the award. It means a lot to me and I am so happy that I could achieve this. I thank the AIFF for their constant support and exposure. And without a platform provided by the AIFF, I don’t know where I would be,” Sanju opined.
Furthermore, Punjab Football Association snapped the ‘2016 AIFF Award for Best Grassroots Programme.’
The ‘2015 AIFF Award for long-time contribution to Indian Football was awarded to Nike.
Pranjal Banerjee from IFA won ‘2016 AIFF Award for Best Referee’ along with Joseph Tony was awarded the ‘2016 AIFF Award for Best Assistant Referee’.
2016 AIFF AWARDS AT A GLANCE:
2016 AIFF Player of the Year: Jeje Lalpekhlua
2016 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year: Sasmita Malik
2016 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year: Rowllin Borges
2016 AIFF Emerging Woman Footballer of the Year: Sanju
2016 AIFF Award for Best Grassroots Development Programme: Punjab Football Association
2016 AIFF Award for long-time contribution to Indian Football: Nike
2016 AIFF Award for Best Referee: Pranjal Banerjee
2016 AIFF Award for Best Assistant Referee: Joseph Tony
PREVIOUS WINNERS OF AIFF PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
1992: IM Vijayan
1993: VP Sathyan
1994: Jo Paul Ancheri
1995: Bhaichung Bhutia
1996: Bruno Coutinho
1997: IM Vijayan
2000: IM Vijayan
2001: Jo Paul Ancheri
2002: Deepak Mondal
2003: Tomba Singh
2004: S. Venkatesh
2005: Climax Lawrence
2006: Surkumar Singh
2007: Sunil Chhetri
2008: Bhaichung Bhutia
2009: Subrata Paul
2010: Gouramangi Singh
2011: Sunil Chhetri
2012: Syed Rahim Nabi
2013: Sunil Chhetri
2014: Sunil Chhetri
2015: Eugeneson Lyngdoh