Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Player of the Year 2009, Yasuhito Endo of Japan, poses with AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam after receiving the trophy during the AFC Annual Awards 2009 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation yesterday extended its agreement with marketing partner World Sport Group until 2020, delivering an expected $1bn in revenue to the AFC.

The new agreement covers the AFC’s marquee competitions, which include the Asian Cup in 2015 and 2019, the newly revamped AFC Champions League, and the Asian qualifying rounds for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

Other key events include Asian qualifying for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, as well as the women’s Asian Cup, and youth competitions.

“Asian football is scaling new heights and it is AFC’s pleasure to renew our tight relationship with WSG, who were the first ones to recognise the incredible potential of the Asian game,” said AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam.

“This is a landmark deal and shows what Asian football is capable of achieving.

“WSG have been steadfast in their commitment to AFC and have played a significant role in popularising the Asian game worldwide. This has been a very productive partnership for both sides.”

Bin Hammam added that the revenues would be significant and help Asian football develop further, with bigger prizemoney for competitions such as the AFC Champions League.

“From 1992 until end 2008, our total revenue was $150m, now we are talking about $1bn, and we are sure that this figure will go up,” he said.

“We are going to reinvest this money in the football itself. Basically we are going to increase the subsidy for the Champions League and the participating teams in the Asian Cup,” he said.

Money will also be allocated to teams qualifying for the World Cup, and to aid Asian football at the Olympics.

The Singapore-based WSG has been the exclusive commercial partner of the AFC since 1993 and has helped popularise Asian football through its television distribution network and other media platforms.

Chairman and chief executive Seamus O’Brien said billions of fans were now following Asian football.

“In 1993, we made a commitment together with the AFC to take Asian football to the world,” he said.

“Today, in just over a decade and a half, the value of Asian football has grown ten-fold and it has earned its rightful place on the international stage.

“Its events are being watched and followed throughout the world—not just in Asia—by billions of passionate fans and viewers.”

He added that both sides would be looking to cooperate beyond 2020, depending on what could be worked out. WSG, partly-owned by Dentsu Inc, Japan’s largest advertising agency, has become a major player in the Asian sports field.

It is also the exclusive media rights partner of the Indian Premier League, ploughing one billion dollars into that venture, and was last week appointed global media and marketing partner of golf’s expanding OneAsia Tour.

Endo wins Player of the Year Award

KUALA LUMPUR: Japanese star Yasuhito Endo won the AFC Player of the Year Award yesterday, fending off the powerful challenges of four other top Asian players.

Endo, of J League side Gamba Osaka, received the most points in terms Save of MVP awards during the 2009 season, which covers AFC Champions League matches, AFC Asian Cup matches, FIFA World Cup qualifiers and other tournaments organised by AFC.

Also nominated were Syria’s Firas Al Khatib, Kengo Nakamura, of Japan, Iranian Hadi Aghily and Sayed Mohamed Adhan, of Bahrain.

The AFC Player of the Year Award is decided by MVP points awarded by Match Commissioners and the AFC’s Technical Study Group officers.

Endo played three AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualifiers this year as well as six AFC Champions League matches. He also played in three FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Japan.

He was able to earn 120 points from matches in 2009, thanks to six MVP titles. This was 20 more points than joint second placed Adnan and Nakamura.

Aghily finished with 95 points while Al Khatib ended up with 85. Endo helped Japan qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals while Gamba, last year’s Asian champions, reached the round of 16 this year before losing to fellow J.Leaguers Kawasaki Frontale 3-2.

“I would like to thank the AFC for this Award,” said Endo, who was nominated last year but lost to Uzbek Server Djeparov. “This is a big honour for me.