International Football
27 YEARS OF CAF AWARDS: NIGERIA’S NWANKWO KANU: FIRST TO WIN IT TWICE
It is 20 years since a Nigerian last won the Africa Footballer of the Year. Nwankwo Kanu who won the honour was award on the field just before the kick off of the Nigeria –Tunisia Africa Cup of Nations’ opener on January 23, 2000 in Lagos.
He had earlier won the 1996 edition following the exploits at the Atlanta Olympic Games. By winning in 1999, he became the first player to win it twice since CAF took over the awards in 1992.
The feat was replicated by Ivorian icon Didier Drogba in 2006 and 2009.
This Tuesday,
the annual CAF Awards enters its 27th edition and the Awards Gala will take
place for the first time in Dakar, Senegal.
On Tuesday, the King of African football will be crowned at the Centre
International de conférences Abdou Diouf (CICAD) in Dakar, amongst the trio of
last year’s winner, Mohamed Salah of Egypt, 2015 winner Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang of Gabon and Senegalese Sadio Mane.
From 1992 to 2017, from Ghana’s Abedi Pele to Salah, 17 players have laid claim
to the most prestigious individual honour in African football.
Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o was the first to be crowned on four occasions – 2003,
2004, 2005 and 2010; a record since equalled by Ivorian Yaya Toure, who made it
four wins on the trot (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014). Former Senegal forward, El
Hadji Diouf also won the award twice in a row; 2001 and 2002.
Winners of the prestigious honour have come from either the midfield or attack;
and that tradition will be respected yet again this time, with the three
contenders being attackers.
In addition, the 17 players to have been decorated since 1992, have and continue
to remain amongst the foremost African ambassadors of the world’s most popular
sport.
There are also several others who were so near and yet so far, including
Ivorian goalkeeper Alain Gouamene in 1992; Moroccan defender Noureddine Naybet
(sixth in 1993); Nigerian Daniel Amokachi, who regularly featured among the top
ten (10) durinmg his hey days, whilst Chadian Japhet N’Doram was virtually
handicapped by the non-presence of his national team at the final phase of a
major continental championship.
South African defender, Mark Fish also settled for sixth position in 1996.
Ghanaian defender Samuel Kuffour narrowly missed out on two occasions, 1999 and
2001.
Others are Michael
Essien of Ghana, who made the final three an unprecedented five times in a row
– 2005 (third), 2006 (third), 2007 (second), 2008 (third) and 2009 (third);
Asamoah Gyan, also from Ghana, 2010 (second); Andre Ayew (Ghana), 2011 (third)
& 2015 (third) and Malian Seydou Keita, 2011 (second). So are Nigerian duo,
John Obi Mikel and Vincent Enyeama, who finished second and third in 2013 and
2014 respectively.
When the roll call for the laureates is launched, there is one noticeable
observation. Cote d’Ivoire is the country which has the biggest number of
triumphs, six in total, Toure (four) and Drogba (two); followed by Nigeria on
five titles, two for Kanu, one each for Emmanuel Amunike, Rashidi Yekini and
Victor Ikpeba.
Patrick Mboma won it once coupled with Eto’o’s four also gives Cameroon five
titles. Diouf is responsible for the only two titles in the name of Senegal.
One-time winners include Ghana – Abedi Pele, Liberia – George Weah (the only
African player to have been crowned FIFA World Footballer of the Year), Morocco
– Mustapha Hadji, Mali – Frederic Kanoute and Togo – Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo),
Aubameyang (Gabon), Mahrez (Algeria) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt).
Another common feature is that all winners plied their trade in Europe at the
time of their coronation.
On the other hand, the Women’s Player of the Year has been dominated by Nigeria
since its inception in 2001. The Super Falcons have contributed four Queens of
African Football – Mercy Akide, Perpetua Nkwocha, Cynthia Uwak and Asisat
Oshoala.
Akide was the first to be crowned queen of the African game whilst Nkwocha was
decorated a record four times (2004, 2005, 2010, 2011), a record Oshoala is one
shy of after triumphs in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Uwak also won back-to-back titles
(2006, 2007).
Ghana has two titles – Alberta Sackey (2002) and Adjoa Bayor (2003); with South
Africa, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon boasting of one crown each in Noko
Matlou (2008), Genoveva Anonma (2012) and Gaelle Enganamouit (2015) respectively.
This year, Oshoala will be hoping to equal the four titles record of her
compatriot Nkwocha. However, she faces stiff challenges from compatriot
Francisa Ordega and South African Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana.
For the second time in a row, energy giants, Aiteo, are the headline sponsors.
AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year
1992 Abedi AYEW PELE (Ghana)
1993 Rashidi YEKINI (Nigeria)
1994 Emmanuel AMUNEKE (Nigeria)
1995 George WEAH (Liberia)
1996 Nwankwo KANU (Nigeria)
1997 Victor IKPEBA (Nigeria)
1998 Mustapha HADJI (Morocco)
1999 Nwankwo KANU (Nigeria)
2000 Patrick MBOMA (Cameroon)
2001 El-Hadji DIOUF (Senegal)
2002 El Hadji DIOUF (Senegal)
2003 Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2004 Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2005 Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2006 Didier DROGBA (Côte d’Ivoire)
2007 Frederic KANOUTE (Mali)
2008 Emmanuel ADEBAYOR (Togo)
2009 Didier DROGBA (Côte d’Ivoire)
2010 Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2011 Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2012 Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2013 Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2014 Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2015 Pierre-Emerick AUBAMEYANG (Gabon)
2016 Riyad MAHREZ (Algeria)
2017 Mohamed SALAH (Egypt)
2018 ??
Women’s Player of the Year
2001 Mercy AKIDE (Nigeria)
2002 Alberta SACKEY (Ghana)
2003 Adjoa BAYOR (Ghana)
2004 Perpetua NKWOCHA (Nigeria)
2005 Perpetua NKWOCHA (Nigeria)
2006 Cynthia UWAK (Nigeria)
2007 Cynthia UWAK (Nigeria)
2008 Noko MATLOU (South Africa)
2009 Not awarded
2010 Perpetua NKWOCHA (Nigeria)
2011 Perpetua NKWOCHA (Nigeria)
2012 Genoveva ANONMAM (Equatorial Guinea)
2013 Not awarded
2014 Asisat OSHOALA (Nigeria)
2015 Gaëlle ENGANAMOUIT (Cameroon)
2016 Asisat OSHOALA (Nigeria)
2017 Asisat OSHOALA (Nigeria)
2018 ??
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.
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
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.
“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.
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.
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 female, across 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.
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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