Africa’s highest football authority, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday announced Nigeria’s Mikel Obi and Cote D’Ivoire’s Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba as the top three nominees for the 2013 African Footballer of the year Award. Both Drogba and Toure have won the trophy twice while this is the first time Mikel has made it to the top 3. Drogba plies his trade with Turkish Club, Galatasaray while, Toure, the defending champion plays for Manchester City. Mikel Obi is a regular feature for Chelsea FC of London. The King will be crowned at the Awards Night holding at the Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos on 9th January, 2014.
Mikel Obi
CAF also released the names of top three finalists for the Africa-based ‘Player of the Year’ Award. They are: Mohamed Aboutreika of Al-Ahly and Egypt, Ahmed Fathy also of Al- Ahly of Egypt and Sunday Mba of Warri Wolves, Nigeria. The list is prepared through a vigorous selection process by the Technical, Football and Media Committees of CAF, taking into account the performance of the players for their national teams and clubs from January to November of each year. The ultimate winner of the award will be decided by votes from the Head Coaches or the Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF.
Didier Drogba
The release of the top three players competing for the prized crown of African footballer of the year Award is the climax of a week-long expectation across the continent on who would be the next King of African Football. The Glo-CAF Awards gala has become one of the continent’s most prestigious sports events, providing Africa with a reputable forum for recognising and rewarding achievement in the various departments of football.
Yaya Toure
Globacom Limited and CAF have been in partnership for the past eight years, and have worked together to make the African Best Football Player Awards glamorous, thereby stimulating the growth of African football. Globacom’s Group Chief Operation Officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel, said that “the partnership between Globacom and CAF was inspired by the company’s strong belief in football as a vehicle for communication and social integration. As the Glo-CAF partnership hits the eighth-year mark, we at Glo take pride in the significant strides our alliance with CAF has achieved in raising the quality and popularity of football in Africa.” He said the Globacom will continue to use its clout in sports sponsorships in Africa to encourage people in sports, business and popular culture to excel.”
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