Glo CAF Awards: Africa Stars on parade

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The 2013 edition of the annual Glo CAF Awards Gala Night comes up in Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria on Thursday, 9th January, 2014.

The Media event which will be held at the Convention Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites will be attended by crème de la crème of African Football. The CAF President, Alhaji Isa Hayatou will lead the Executive Committee members of the continent’s highest football organ to the ceremony. They will be complemented by FIFA officials, football administrators across Africa as well as players plying their trade in Africa and other parts of the world.

One of the groups that will stand out during the glittering ceremony are African ex- Internationals who will converge on Lagos for the event. The stars of yesteryears are coming from different countries across Africa and their presence is bound to electrify the environment, considering their exploits in the round leather game.

LEGENDS

From Nigeria, the host of the event, comes Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Victor Nosa Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amuneke, Kanu Nwankwo and Daniel ‘the bull’ Amokachi.

Austin Okocha distinguished himself with Einthract Frankfurt FC of Germany, Fernabache of Turkey, Paris St Germain of France and Bolton Wanderers of England. He is noted for his stylish dribbles on the pitch. A two-time winner of the BBC African Player of the Year, he was nominated for the Legends Award along with ex-Moroccan International Mustapha Hadji at the 2011 Glo-Caf Awards in Accra, Ghana.

He wore many caps for the Nigerian national team before he retired about six years ago.

Similarly, Ikpeba, a former star of Monaco FC, popularly known as ‘Prince of Monaco’ played for the France based team for many years before moving over to Borrussia Dortmund FC in Germany. He also played for Standard Liege of Belgium. He won the African Footballer of the year Award in 1997.

OUSTANDING

Emmanuel Amuneke, African Footballer of the Year, 1994 was a member of the Super Eagles squad to both USA 94 and France 98 World Cups. He also played an outstanding role in the Atlanta Olympics team that won football Gold. The ex-Sporting Lisbon and Barcelona player is currently an assistant coach with the U-17 national team and recently assisted Coach Manu Garba of Nigeria to win the 2013 U-17 World Cup in UAE.

Ex- Ajax, Inter Milan and Arsenal, Kanu Nwankwo is rated as Nigeria's most successful player and he earned global acclaim for his infinite capacity to score memorable goals. He won the African Footballer of the Year Award twice in 1996 and 1999. His Heart Foundation has assisted a number of young children across Africa.

Daniel Amokachi is currently the assistant Coach of the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles. He played for the Super Eagles at both the USA 94 and France 98 World Cups, in addition to being a member of the gold winning Atlanta 96 team. He played for Ranchers Bees in Nigeria before moving to Belgium where he featured for Club Brugge and later Besiktas of Turkey. The ex- Everton of England striker is also a soccer analyst on Super Sports channels.

Other ex- Nigerian internationals expected at the gala night include Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi of the Super Eagles who has been shortlisted for the Coach of the Year Award, Mutiu ‘Headmaster Adepoju’ , Jonathan Akpoborire as well as Sunday Oliseh, the captain of Super Eagles between 2000 and 2002. He will join foremost sports television presenter and journalist from South Africa, Carol Tshabalala as compere of the Awards night.

Sunday Oliseh who captained Nigeria during the 2002 African Cup of Nations retired from professional football in January 2006 at the age of 31. He was recently tipped for the position of the Head of Technical Department at the Nigeria Football Federation. Oliseh, played 63 international matches for Nigeria, scoring four goals.

PROLIFIC

The Nigerian ex- internationals will be joined by other African legends from South Africa, Ghana, Morroco, Egypt, Cameroun and Tunisia at the event where they will have the opportunity to reminisce on their playing days, as well as meet current shining lights who have kept the flag flying. Among the expected African legends expected at the gala night is former African Footballer of Year and current President of the Football Association of Zambia, Mr. Kalusha Bwalya. A prolific striker, Kalusha led the Zambian national team for many years and also distinguished himself in Europe, particularly as a player of PSV Eindhoven in Holland.

Players and administrators who have been shortlisted in the various categories for different awards will also be in attendance.

Chelsea midfielder and Nigerian international, John Mikel Obi is expected to grace the event. He is among the top three players shortlisted for the 2013 Glo CAF African Footballer of the Year Award. Mikel is enjoying probably his best moment in football. A regular with the star-studded Chelsea, he played an influential role in the build-up to the 2012 UEFA Champions League crown. He also won the Europa Cup with Chelsea in 2013.On September 21 this year, he broke his goal duck in the English Premier League with his first goal in 185 matches in a 2-0 win over Fulham. Also, he netted a cracker against Uruguay at the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil for Nigeria in July. His efforts in the season were crowned with a gold medal with the Super Eagles at the last Africa Cup of Nations. He was also instrumental to Nigeria’s qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Also expected to attend is another contender for the African Player of the Year Award, Didier Drogba from Cote d’Ivoire. He has been shortlisted along with his country mate and current African Footballer of the Year from Manchester City, Yaya Toure. Didier Drogba plies his trade in Turkey where he plays for Galatasaray. He earlier played for Olympic Marseille in France and Chelsea FC of London where he won the Champions League in 2012. At 35, Drogba is yet to lose his football skills, scoring three goals as the Elephants reached a third successive World Cup appearance. The striker has bounced back from a disappointing spell in China and has been banging in the goals in Turkey. He scored five in 13 appearances during Galatasaray’s triumph in the 2012-13 season. In the current season, Drogba has scored nine times in all competitions for Galatasaray, including the UEFA Champions League.

Reigning African Player of the Year, Yaya Toure was born on May 13, 1983. The Manchester City of England Player won the last two editions of the African Player of the Year Award and he is still at his peak. He scored two goals including a spectacular free-kick against Tunisia at the group stage. Though the Elephants failed to go past the quarter final, he was the pillar of the Ivorian team in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, netting four goals in the process. At Manchester City, he is a cult figure and has been the driving force for the club. For the current 2013-14 season, the midfielder has found the back of the net five times in 11 games.

Also expected are the top three players shortlisted for African Player of the Year and the African-Based African Player of the Year Awards. They are They are: Mohamed Aboutreika of Al-Ahly and Egypt, Ahmed Fathy also of Al- Ahly of Egypt and Sunday Mba of Warri Wolves, Nigeria.

CHAMPIONS

Ageless Mohamed Aboutreika plays in Africa and has led his Club to win many continental laurels. He was born in Egypt on November 7, 1978 and plays for Egyptian top Club, Al Ahly.

Aboutreika is at the twilight of his career, yet, he has proved again that he is nowhere near the finish line. He scored six goals for Egypt in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, including one on his centenary appearance for the Pharaohs against Guinea. With Ahly, he was the pivot as the Egyptian giants retained the CAF Champions League title, scoring in both legs in the final. He scored five times in the campaign as Ahly cruised to an unprecedented eighth title despite the absence of a football competition in Egypt in two years.

Nigeria’s Sunday Mba is a significant player in the Nigerian national team that lifted the last Nation’s Cup. Until recently, Sunday Mba played for Warri Wolves in Nigeria. He was born on November 28, 1988 in Nigeria. Mba was the biggest revelation at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, where Nigeria emerged champions. One of the few local players in the Nigerian squad, he paid back the confidence reposed in him by Keshi with decisive goals in the quarter-final and final against Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso respectively. After a failed move to Europe, he featured for Enugu Rangers in the Orange CAF Confederation Cup this year, where they were knocked out at the second round.

CAF

Ahmed Fathy, an Egyptian and a player of Egyptian top club, Al Ahly was born November 10, 1984. Ahmed had a short spell in England with Hull City, before returning home to lead Al Ahly to an unprecedented eighth Orange CAF Champions League title this year. He was on target during the 4-2 win over bitter rivals, Zamalek at the group phase. The energetic 29-year old who can play both in defence and midfield, provided an assist for Ahmed Abdel Zaher to score the second goal in the final against Orlando Pirates of South Africa. He was also a key member of the Egyptian squad that unsuccessfully competed in the 2014 FIFA World Cup playoff against Ghana.

Also expected are the trio of Ebenezer Assifuah, Saleh Gomaa and Kelechi Iheanacho who have been shortlisted for the Most Promising Talent Award.

Emmanuel Assifuah towered above all to claim the Golden Boot award at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, netting six goals to help Ghana to win bronze. Earlier at the African U-20 Championship in Algeria, he hit the back of the net thrice as Ghana reached the final, and was named in the tournament best eleven. He has since joined Swiss side, FC Sion.

TALENTED

Saleh Gomaa is the talented midfielder who has risen to become one of the most sought after young players in African football. Gomaa was adjudged the Most Valuable Player at the African U-20 Championship held in Algeria last March, where Egypt emerged champions. With skills and pace as his assets, he went on to play at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey but Egypt bowed out at the group phase. It was his second appearance at the global youth championship after 2011. On the books of local club, ENPPI, he continues to attract interest from other Egyptian clubs and abroad.

Kelechi Iheanacho is the Nigerian teenager who stole all the attention during the Golden Eaglets’ triumph at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. A regular on the score cards, he picked the Silver Boot with six goals and the Golden Ball, for the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He contributed immensely to Nigeria claiming its fourth title at the global cadet level.

An interesting night awaits the legends, administrators and aficionados of African football in Lagos on 9th of January, 2014.

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