CAF Names 34 Nominees For African Footballer Of The Year
The Confederation of African Football has revealed an initial list of 34 players for its 2012 African Footballer of the Year award. Amo...
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The Confederation of African Football has revealed an initial list of 34 players for its 2012 African Footballer of the Year award.
Among them is Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, who won the honour last year.
Also on the list are three players who currently represent African clubs.
Zambian duo Rainford Kalaba and Stoppila Sunzu both play for DR Congo's TP Mazembe, while Tunisia's Youssef Msakni is at Esperance.
Msakni, however, is set to leave the African Champions, having agreed to join Lekhwiya in Qatar in January 2013.
Kalaba and Sunzu have already enjoyed a successful year, as they were part of Zambia's team that lifted this year's Africa Cup trophy in Gabon.
And the duo, alongside Msakni, are the only players to appear on both shortlists for the African Footballer of the Year and the African Player of the Year.
The African Footballer of the Year award is predominantly won by players based outside Africa while the African Player of the Year prize is dedicated to players plying their trade within Africa.
"I am very happy to be nominated because it's not easy," Kalaba told reporters."This has been a very good year for me after winning the Africa Cup and I can feel it that my form has improved."
Should one of the pair win the award they will emulate the current Football Association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya, who took the took the prize in 1988 and is the only recipient of the award from Southern Africa.
A total of 34 players are on the shortlist for the African Footballer, while 32 hopefuls are gunning for the African Player of the Year award.
CAF said in a statement that it will announce the top 10 nominees for the African Footballer of the Year and the top five nominees for African footballer of the Year (based in Africa) by late October.
The names of the respective 10 and five finalists will then be sent to national associations, head coaches and secretary generals to select the top three finalists.
The awards, which also include Coach of the Year and Club of the Year will be announced at a ceremony on 20 December in the Banquet Hall, State House in the Ghanaian capital Accra.
Nominees for African Player of the Year:
Abdelaziz Barrada - Getafe (Spain) and Morocco
Adel Taarabt - Queens Park Rangers (England) and Morocco
Alain Sibiri Traore - Lorient (France) and Burkina Faso
Alexander Song - Barcelona (Spain) and Cameroon
Andre 'Dede' Ayew - Marseille (France) and Ghana
Arouna Kone - Wigan (England) and Ivory Coast
Aymen Abdennour - Toulouse (France) and Tunisia
Bakaye Traore - AC Milan (Italy) and Mali
Cheick Tiote - Newcastle United (England) and Ivory Coast
Christopher Katongo - Henan Construction (China) and Zambia
Demba Ba - Newcastle United (England) and Senegal
Didier Drogba - Shanghai Shenhua (China) and Ivory Coast
Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu - Udinese (Italy) and Ghana
Emmanuel Mayuka - Southampton (England) and Zambia
Foxi Kethevoama - FC Astana (Kazakhstan) and Central African Republic
Gervinho - Arsenal (England) and Ivory Coast
Hilaire Momi - Le Mans (France) and Central African Republic
John Obi Mikel - Chelsea (England) and Nigeria
John Utaka - Montpellier (France) and Nigeria
Kwadwo Asamoah - Juventus (Italy) and Ghana
Moussa Sow - Fenerbahce (Turkey) and Senegal
Nicolas N'koulou - Marseille (France) and Cameroon
Papiss Demba Cisse - Newcastle United (England) and Senegal
Pape Moussa Konate - FC Krasnodar (Russia) and Senegal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - St Etienne (France) and Gabon
Rainford Kalaba - TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Zambia
Seydou Doumbia - CSKA Moscow (Russia) and Ivory Coast
Seydou Keita - Dalian Aerbin (China) and Mali
Sofiane Feghouli - Valencia (Spain) and Algeria
Stoppila Sunzu - TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Zambia
Victor Moses - Chelsea (England) and Nigeria
Yaya Toure - Manchester City (England) and Ivory Coast
Younes Belhanda - Montpellier (France) and Morocco
Youssef Msakni - Esperance (Tunisia) and Tunisia
Also on the list are three players who currently represent African clubs.
Zambian duo Rainford Kalaba and Stoppila Sunzu both play for DR Congo's TP Mazembe, while Tunisia's Youssef Msakni is at Esperance.
Msakni, however, is set to leave the African Champions, having agreed to join Lekhwiya in Qatar in January 2013.
Kalaba and Sunzu have already enjoyed a successful year, as they were part of Zambia's team that lifted this year's Africa Cup trophy in Gabon.
And the duo, alongside Msakni, are the only players to appear on both shortlists for the African Footballer of the Year and the African Player of the Year.
The African Footballer of the Year award is predominantly won by players based outside Africa while the African Player of the Year prize is dedicated to players plying their trade within Africa.
"I am very happy to be nominated because it's not easy," Kalaba told reporters."This has been a very good year for me after winning the Africa Cup and I can feel it that my form has improved."
Should one of the pair win the award they will emulate the current Football Association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya, who took the took the prize in 1988 and is the only recipient of the award from Southern Africa.
A total of 34 players are on the shortlist for the African Footballer, while 32 hopefuls are gunning for the African Player of the Year award.
CAF said in a statement that it will announce the top 10 nominees for the African Footballer of the Year and the top five nominees for African footballer of the Year (based in Africa) by late October.
The names of the respective 10 and five finalists will then be sent to national associations, head coaches and secretary generals to select the top three finalists.
The awards, which also include Coach of the Year and Club of the Year will be announced at a ceremony on 20 December in the Banquet Hall, State House in the Ghanaian capital Accra.
Nominees for African Player of the Year:
Abdelaziz Barrada - Getafe (Spain) and Morocco
Adel Taarabt - Queens Park Rangers (England) and Morocco
Alain Sibiri Traore - Lorient (France) and Burkina Faso
Alexander Song - Barcelona (Spain) and Cameroon
Andre 'Dede' Ayew - Marseille (France) and Ghana
Arouna Kone - Wigan (England) and Ivory Coast
Aymen Abdennour - Toulouse (France) and Tunisia
Bakaye Traore - AC Milan (Italy) and Mali
Cheick Tiote - Newcastle United (England) and Ivory Coast
Christopher Katongo - Henan Construction (China) and Zambia
Demba Ba - Newcastle United (England) and Senegal
Didier Drogba - Shanghai Shenhua (China) and Ivory Coast
Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu - Udinese (Italy) and Ghana
Emmanuel Mayuka - Southampton (England) and Zambia
Foxi Kethevoama - FC Astana (Kazakhstan) and Central African Republic
Gervinho - Arsenal (England) and Ivory Coast
Hilaire Momi - Le Mans (France) and Central African Republic
John Obi Mikel - Chelsea (England) and Nigeria
John Utaka - Montpellier (France) and Nigeria
Kwadwo Asamoah - Juventus (Italy) and Ghana
Moussa Sow - Fenerbahce (Turkey) and Senegal
Nicolas N'koulou - Marseille (France) and Cameroon
Papiss Demba Cisse - Newcastle United (England) and Senegal
Pape Moussa Konate - FC Krasnodar (Russia) and Senegal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - St Etienne (France) and Gabon
Rainford Kalaba - TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Zambia
Seydou Doumbia - CSKA Moscow (Russia) and Ivory Coast
Seydou Keita - Dalian Aerbin (China) and Mali
Sofiane Feghouli - Valencia (Spain) and Algeria
Stoppila Sunzu - TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Zambia
Victor Moses - Chelsea (England) and Nigeria
Yaya Toure - Manchester City (England) and Ivory Coast
Younes Belhanda - Montpellier (France) and Morocco
Youssef Msakni - Esperance (Tunisia) and Tunisia
