International Football
MOSES, TROOST-EKONG, JUNIOR AJAYI MAKE CAF AWARDS SHORTLIST
BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.
African football governing body, CAF has listed three Nigerian players among the 60 shortlisted for two topmost categories of the awards for the overall African Footballer of the Year and the African Player of the Year Based in Africa.
In the 30-man shortlist for the topmost category, the African Footballer of the Year, arranged in alphabetical order, two Nigerian players, Victor Moses of English Premiership side, Chelsea and the Super Eagles as well as William Troost-Ekong of both Super Eagles and Turkish club, Bursaspor are listed numbers 25 and 27.
In the next category for players based in the continent, Junior Ajayi of Al Ahly of Egypt is listed as number 16. He former Flying Eagles player is also eying the CAF Champions League trophy with the Egyptian side.
Sports Village Square gathers from the media release from CAF that the winners will be decided by votes from the Head Coaches/Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF, members of the CAF Technical and Development Committee and a panel of media experts.
Nwankwo Kanu, the 1999 winner, was the last Nigerian to win the award. The Awards Gala will be held on Thursday, January 4, 2018 in Accra, Ghana. Nigerian energy giants, Aiteo, are the headline sponsors of next year’s edition that will see players, officials and administrators who distinguished themselves exemplary during the year under review being honoured for their efforts towards the development of the game on the continent. The full list reads:
African Player of the Year
- Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)
- Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Lyon)
- Cedric Bakambu (DR Congo & Villareal)
- Christian Atsu (Ghana & Newcastle)
- Christian Bassogog (Cameroon & Henan Jianye)
- Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Eric Bailly (Cote d’Ivoire & Manchester United)
- Essam El Hadary (Egypt & Al Taawoun)
- Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon & Sevilla)
- Fackson Kapumbu (Zambia & Zesco)
- Jean Michel Seri (Cote d’Ivoire & Nice)
- Junior Kabananga (DR Congo & Astana)
- Karim El Ahmadi (Morocco & Feyenoord)
- Keita Balde (Senegal & Monaco)
- Khalid Boutaib (Morocco & Yeni Malatyaspor)
- Mbwana Samata (Tanzania & Genk)
- Michael Olunga (Kenya & Girona)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
- Moussa Marega (Mali & Porto)
- Naby Keita (Guinea & RB Leipzig)
- Percy Tau (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund)
- Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
- Thomas Partey (Ghana & Atletico Madrid)
- Victor Moses (Nigeria & Chelsea)
- Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon & Porto)
- William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria & Bursaspor)
- Yacine Brahimi (Algeria & Porto)
- Youssef Msakni (Tunisia & Al Duhail)
- Yves Bissouma (Mali & Lille)
African Player of the Year – Based in Africa
- Achraf Bencharki (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
- Ahmed Fathi (Egypt & Al Ahly)
- Alkhaly Bangoura (Guinea & Etoile du Sahel)
- Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)
- Aristide Bance (Burkina Faso & Al Masry)
- Ayman Majid (Morocco & FUS Rabat)
- Aymen Mathlouthi (Tunisia & Etoile du Sahel)
- Ben Malango (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)
- Dean Furman (South Africa & Supersport United)
- Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Elsamani Saadeldin (Sudan & Al Merreikh)
- Fackson Kapumbu (Zambia & Zesco)
- Fawzi Chaouchi (Algeria & MC Alger)
- Geoffrey Serunkuma (Uganda & KCCA)
- Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand & Supersport)
- Junior Ajayi (Nigeria & Al Ahly)
- Karim Aouadhi (Tunisia & CS Sfaxien)
- Mohamed Meftah (Algeria & USM Alger)
- Mohamed Ounnajem (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
- Muaid Ellafi (Libya & Ahly Tripoli)
- Nasr Eldin Ahmed (Sudan & Hilal Obeid)
- Oussama Darfalou (Algeria & USM Alger)
- Percy Tau (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Sabelo Ndzinisa (Swaziland & Mbabane Swallows)
- Saber Khalifa (Tunisia & Club Africain)
- Saladin Said (Ethiopia & Saint George)
- Sylvain Gbohouo (Cote d’Ivoire & TP Mazembe)
- Tady Etekiama (DR Congo & AS Vita)
- Taha Yassine Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek)
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING: At last FIFA’s Axe falls on South Africa!
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Super Eagles Set for Double Friendly Showdown with Venezuela and Colombia in USA
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- World Cup6 days ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- CAF Confederation Cup1 week ago
Asante Kotoko End Kwara United’s Confederation Cup Campaign in Abeokuta
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup4 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers