International Football
VICTOR MOSES LOSES OUT AS FINAL SHORTLIST OF AFRICAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR IS UNVEILED
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria and Chelsea star player, Victor Moses has lost out in the race for the 2017 Africa Footballer of the Year. Confederation of African Football on Monday revealed the identities of the top three for all the categories of the Aiteo CAF Awards 2017 in Accra, Ghana.
Sports Village Square recalls that Nigeria’s Victor Moses who made the initial cut of five when the list was pruned from 30 to 11. At that stage, the other Nigerian shortlisted, central defender, William Troost-Ekong had dropped out.
In the final list are Egypt’s magic man, Mohamed Salah who also features for Premiership side, Liverpool, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and German side, Dortmund as well as Sadio Mane of Senegal and Liverpool.
Egypt’s Mohammed Salah who has played crucial roles for both club and country looks highly favoured to win the award. Earlier, he has been crowned the BBC African Footballer of the Year. The Aiteo/CAF edition will be an icing on the cake for the prolific striker.
The shortlists for the topmost award, African Player of the Year, were unveiled by Ex-Ghana defender, Sammy Kuffour who lost out to Senegal’s El Hadji Diouf of Senegal at the 2002 Award Ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The unveiled list however did not show the African Footballer of Year based in Africa for which Nigeria’s Junior Ajayi of Al Ahly of Egypt was listed.
But in the women’s category, Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala is still in the final race along with South Africa’s Chrestina Kgatlana and Cameroon’s Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene.
The Coach of the Year Award will be a tough contest between the duo of Egypt’s Hector Cuper and Nigeria’s Gernot Rohr. Both qualified their respective teams for the World Cup but with the Nigerian coach finishing unbeaten on the field of play.
But Egypt’s Hector Cuper can lay claim to additional advantage of leading his team to the final match of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The third contestant is Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco’s L’Hussein Amoutta whose club won the CAF Champions League.
The National Team of the Year is being contested by Cameroon, the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations winners, but complete disappointment in the race to the World Cup; Egypt, the runners-up in the Africa Cup of Nations, but qualifiers for the World Cup for the first time in 27 years and Nigeria, the clinical finisher of the World Cup qualifiers and perhaps the most rejuvenated of the three contestants.
The unveiling ceremony of the final shortlist was attended by CAF President Ahmad, CAF First Vice President Kwesi Nyantakyi, CAF Executive Committee member, Amaju Pinnick, with Ghana’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Asiamah, the Guest-of-Honour.
Also present were sponsors, Aiteo, represented by Senior Vice President, Commercial and Gas, Victor Okoronkwo, who expressed his outfit’s pride in partnership of the event that celebrates the various stakeholders of African football. The Awards Gala will take place on Thursday, 4 January 2018 in Accra, Ghana.
Below are the top three (Nominees are listed in alphabetical order);
African Player of the Year
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Dortmund)
- Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
Women’s Player of the Year
- Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Dalian Quanjian)
- Chrestina Kgatlana (South Africa & UWC Ladies)
- Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene(Cameroon & CSKA Moscow)
Youth Player of the Year
- Krepin Diatta (Senegal & Sarpsborg)
- Patson Daka (Zambia & Liefering)
- Salam Giddou (Mali & Guidars)
Coach of the Year
- Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
- Hector Cuper (Egypt)
- L’Hussein Amoutta (Wydad Athletic Club)
Club of the Year
- Al Ahly
- TP Mazembe
- Wydad Athletic Club
National Team of the Year
- Cameroon
- Egypt
- Nigeria
Women’s National Team of the Year
- Ghana U-20
- Nigeria U-20
- South Africa
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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By Kunle Solaja
Match Context
- Fixture: Jordan vs Nigeria
- Venue: Antalya, Turkey
- Occasion: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
- Kick-off: Tuesday (evening)
They would have loved facing Jamaica in Mexico today for a place at the World Cup, but fate has other plans, and Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be taking on World Cup debutants Jordan in a friendly match instead in Turkey.
The encounter promises to be a revealing contest for both sides as preparations intensify for future global assignments.
The encounter, staged as part of a four-nation tournament in Turkey, will be the third meeting between the two countries, with the head-to-head record finely poised.
History Beckons in Third Meeting
Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory in their first clash at the National Stadium, Lagos, on 28 April 2004 during the LG Cup.
However, the tables turned in 2013 when a largely experimental Nigerian side under the late Stephen Keshi suffered a 1-0 defeat in Amman, courtesy of a Hatem Aqel penalty.
This latest meeting now serves as the decider in what has quietly become a balanced rivalry.
Jordan arrive in buoyant mood, riding on the crest of a historic achievement, which is their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026).
Jordan’s Al-Nashama
Their recent form underlines a team growing in confidence and tactical discipline. In the past months, Al-Nashama have:
- Held Russia (0-0)
- Defeated Dominican Republic (3-0)
- Drawn with Mali (0-0)
- Narrowly lost to Bolivia (1-0) and Albania (4-2)
- Pushed Tunisia (3-2 loss) in a competitive encounter
They also opened this invitational tournament with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, further evidence of their resilience.
The team’s preparations have been boosted by a morale-lifting visit from Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, during their Antalya training camp.
Coach Jamal Al-Salami has deliberately scheduled matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, citing their stylistic similarity to World Cup opponents such as Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.
Despite missing several key players, including star forward Mousa Ta’mari, Jordan have continued to show depth, blending senior players with youth prospects as part of a broader developmental strategy.
Nigeria head into the clash with renewed confidence after a 2-1 victory over Iran in their opening game of the tournament, with goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
Unlike previous meetings, the Super Eagles are expected to field a full-strength squad, packed with Europe-based stars, something Jordanian observers have already described as a “heavyweight challenge.”
The squad boasts a blend of experience and attacking flair.
The presence of multiple attacking options gives Nigeria a clear edge going forward, while their physicality and pace could pose serious problems for the Jordanians.
Jordan are expected to adopt a compact, disciplined shape, relying on quick transitions and defensive organisation, qualities that earned them results against stronger opposition in recent friendlies.
Nigeria, by contrast, will likely dominate possession, using width and individual brilliance to break down Jordan’s defensive lines.
The key battle may lie in midfield, where Jordan’s structure will be tested against Nigeria’s blend of strength, technique, and tempo.
For Jordan, this is another step in fine-tuning a squad preparing for its historic World Cup debut—a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition.
For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to assert authority, build cohesion among its star-studded squad, and maintain momentum ahead of more competitive fixtures.
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