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MOSES, JUNIOR AJAYI CROSS FIRST HURDLE IN CAF AWARD

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BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.

 

As the race for the picking of the African Player of the Year and Player of the Year (Based in Africa) gathers momentum, two of the three Nigerians initially shortlisted for the two categories have made it to the next round.

Victor Moses for the African Player of the Year and Junior Ajayi for the based in Africa categories have made the cut as the original lists of 30 players in each category have been pruned to 10 and 11 respectively. Unfortunately, Super Eagles’ William  Troost-Ekong who was in the original 30-man list did not make it to the next stage.

According to a press release by CAF on Monday, the reduction of the number of nominees was done after votes from members of the CAF Technical & Development Committee, CAF Media Experts Panel and Independent Media and TV Consultants were counted.

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Next is to further reduce the nominees to single digits ahead of the January 4 CAF/Aiteo Award in Accra on January 4, 2018.

The second and final phase will involve Head Coaches or Technical Directors of the National Associations taking part in the voting exercise and ten members from the Independent Media and TV Consultants group.

According to CAF, for the first time, captains of the senior men’s national teams of the affiliated National Associations will also take part in decision making process of the African Player of the Year and Player of the Year (Based in Africa).

 

African Player of the Year (alphabetical order)

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  1. Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Olympique Lyon)
  2. Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
  3. Karim El Ahmadi (Morocco & Feyenoord)
  4. Keita Balde (Senegal & Monaco)
  5. Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
  6. Naby Keita (Guinea & RB Leipzig)
  7. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & B. Dortmund)
  8. Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
  9. Victor Moses (Nigeria & Chelsea)
  10. Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon & Porto)
  11. Yacine Brahimi (Algeria & Porto)

 

Player of the Year (Based in Africa)

  1. Achraf Bencharki (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
  2. Ahmed Fathi (Egypt & Al Ahly)
  3. Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)
  4. Aristide Bance (Burkina Faso & El Masry)
  5. Ben Malango (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)
  6. Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
  7. Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand & Supersport)
  8. Junior Ajayi (Nigeria & Al Ahly)
  9. Mohamed Ounnajem (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
  10. Taha Yassine Khenisssi (Tunisia & Esperance)

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad

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Mateus Mane in England's colour

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.

Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.

Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.

He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.

With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.

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Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.

While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.

-Reuters

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Soon Cisse ceases to be Senegal’s Coach

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After 107 matches spanning nine years, Aliou Cisse will not have his contract renewed as Senegal coach, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Of the 107 matches, Cisse’s team won 70, drew 24 and lost 13.

But the impressive scorecard is not enough to impress his employers.

Thus, the end beckons for Cisse’s successful nine-year spell in charge of the side that included a first Africa Cup of Nations title and two World Cup qualifications.

He had been under increasing pressure after Senegal’s surprise last 16 exit at the 2023 Cup of Nations when they lost on penalties to hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

Senegal are unbeaten in six matches since then, but home draws with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso, and criticism from certain quarters over their style of play, made up the mind of the country’s sports ministry, who fund the salary of the national team coach, that a change was needed.

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“The FSF would like to thank Aliou Cisse for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of the various national selections that he has managed since his arrival in 2011 and wish him every success for the future,” the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said in a statement.

FSF added Cisse’s exit stemmed from a failure to fulfil the targets in his last contract, which expired at the end of August, which included victory at the 2023 Cup of Nations and reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

They also said the “regression of our national team in the FIFA rankings and the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese (public)” had played a role.

The FSF will appoint an interim technical team to lead the side in Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi at home on Oct. 11 and away four days later.

Cisse, 48, was captain of Senegal when they reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup with what is heralded as a golden generation of players.

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He briefly had a spell as caretaker coach of the national team in 2012, but took over full time three years later.

He led Senegal to 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualification, making the last 16 in the latter before losing to England. They were beaten in the final of the 2019 Cup of Nations by Algeria.

The side made up for that disappointment when they beat Egypt in the final two years later to be crowned African champions for the first time.

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Why  FIFA banned Samuel Eto’o

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Always in the news for bad reasons, Samuel Eto’o has again made global headlines. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned the former striker and the current president of the Cameroon Football Federation.

He is banned from attending Cameroon’s matches for the next six months for violating conduct rules during the recent U-20 Women’s World Cup, where his national team faced Brazil in the round of 16.

According to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, Eto’o was found to have breached articles 13 (“Offensive behaviour and violations of fair play principles”) and 14 (“Misconduct of players and officials”) of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code.

The sanction stems specifically from the match between Brazil and Cameroon, held on September 11 in Bogotá, Colombia. As a result, Eto’o will be prohibited from attending any matches involving Cameroon’s national teams, both male and femaleacross all age groups.

“Mr Eto’o has been notified today, the date on which the sanction comes into force,” stated the FIFA press release.

This is not the first time Eto’o has faced controversy. He previously drew attention for his behavior towards players and national team coach Marc Brys, whom he allegedly threatened in front of cameras if his directives were not followed.

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During the Qatar World Cup, the former Real Madrid, Mallorca, and Barcelona player made headlines again after assaulting a fan who filmed him outside a stadium after a match.

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