Mohun Bagan’s Jeje Lalpekhlua was adjudged the 2016 Player of the Year, while Sasmita Malik received the Women’s Player of the Year award at the inaugural All Indian Football Federation awards in Mumbai on Thursday.

Twenty-five-year-old Rowlin Borges, who plays for East Bengal, won the Emerging Player of the Year award while Sanju was adjudged the Emerging Woman Player of the Year. Sunil Chhetri, India’s highest goal scorer with 53 goals, received a Special Award for surpassing the milestone along with his Hero of I-League award.

Mohun Bagan’s Debjit Majumder won the best Goalkeeper of Hero I-League 2016-17 award while Aizawl FC’s Khalid Jamal won the Best Coach award for leading his club to a fairytale league triumph.

“Today is all the more important, because we are celebrating those wonderful players and other key stakeholders of Indian football, without whose tireless efforts, we would not have reached such a stage,” said Praful Patel, the president of the AIFF. “I congratulate all award winners for their immense contribution in growing the game in the country and wish them many more such recognitions in the future.”

Full list of awards:

  • 2016 AIFF Best Grassroots Program of the Year: Punjab
  • Best Home-match Organiser of Hero I-League 2016-17: DSK Shivajians & Bengaluru FC
  • Hero I-League Fairplay Award 2016-17: Churchill Brothers FC Goa
  • 2016 AIFF Assistant Referee of the Year: Joseph Tony
  • 2016 AIFF Referee of the Year: Pranjal Banerjee
  • Long-time Contribution to Indian Football: Nike
  • Best Emerging Player of Hero I-League 2016-17: Jerry Lalrinzuala (DSK Shivajians)
  • Best Goalkeeper of Hero I-League 2016-17: Debjit Majumder (Mohun Bagan)
  • Jarnail Singh Best Defender of Hero I-League 2016-17: Anas Edathodika (Mohun Bagan)
  • Best Midfielder of Hero I-League 2016-17: Alfred Kemah Jaryan (Aizawl FC)
  • Best Striker of Hero I-League 2016-17: Aser Pierric Dipanda Dicka (Shillong Lajong FC)
  • Highest Scorer of Hero I-League 2016-17: Aser Pierric Dipanda Dicka (Shillong Lajong FC)
  • Syed Abdul Rahim Award for Best Coach in Hero I-League 2016-17: Khalid Jamil (Aizawl FC)
  • Hero of I-League 2016-17: Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)
  • 2016 Special Award for being the First Indian Club to play in AFC Cup Final: JSW Bengaluru FC
  • 2016 Special Recognition Award of the Year: Uvena Fernandes
  • 2016 Special Recognition Award of the Year: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
  • 2016 Emerging Woman Player of the Year: Sanju
  • 2016 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year: Rowllin Borges
  • 2016 AIFF Woman Player of the Year: Sasmita Malik
  • 2016 AIFF Player of the Year: Jeje Lalpekhlua