Ipswich Town striker Michael Chopra and QPR chairman Tony Fernandes have both been honoured at the inaugural Asian Football Awards held at Wembley Stadium.
28-year old Chopra, whose father is Indian, won the player of the year award whilst Malaysian businessman Fernandes, along with fellow R's owner Lakshmi Mittal, received the Investors in Football prize.
Other winners on the night included Football League referee Jarnail Singh and Wolves' Sheffield Wednesday loanee Danny Batth.
Imran Hassan Co-Founder AFAs said:
"A very big congratulations to all the nominees and winners, it really was truly inspirational to see so many role models, in particular nominees like Rikin Shah and Lifetime Achievement recipient Jarnail Singh." "It was really pleasing seeing so many key figures supporting and enjoying the awards, but the hard work begins now in our legacy programme.
The winners of the inaugural Asian Football Awards, in full:
Player of the Year (Sponsored by Lebara Mobile) - Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town) Young Player of the Yea (Sponsored by Inventive Sports) - Danny Batth (Wolves/Sheff Wed) Lifetime Achievement Award - Jarnail Singh (Football League referee) Football Media Award (Sponsored by Sony Entertainment Network) - Manish Bhasin (BBC) Investors in Football - Tony Fernandes and Lakshmi Mittal (QPR) Coach of the Year (Sponsored by Action Images) - Nas Bashir (Hayes and Yeading) Asian Woman in Football - Rimla Akhtar (Muslim Women's Sports Foundation) Foundation of the Year - Osmani Trust Behind the Scenes - Administration - Raj Athwal (Watford FC) Behind the Scenes - Medical (Sponsored by SportsRecruit.co.uk) - Dr Zaf Iqbal (Liverpool FC) Grass Roots Hero (Sponsored by AsiansInFootball.com)- Bal Singh (The Khalsa Football Academy) Asian Community Club of the Year - London Tigers Inspiration Award - Permi Jhooti Football Development Project of the Year (Sponsored by Sporting Equals) - Diversity Academy
