Former England international John Barnes will be the Master of Ceremony (MC) for Thursday's 2012 Glo CAF Awards. The ex-Liverpool star will be assisted by Anita Erskine, a Ghanaian live show hostess, during the event to honour Africa's best player in Accra. Barnes, who currently works as a pundit for ESPN and SuperSport, has honed his love for the African game since retiring for playing. He has spent some time in Africa on various projects and Thursday's award ceremony to recognise some of the continent's big performers will add to his ties with the continent. The striker was among the first black players to play for England and had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells with Newscastle and Charlton. Since retiring from playing he has coached Scottish giants Celtic, Jamaica and Tranmere Rovers.