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L-R:
Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan; African Footballer of the year, Yaya
Toure; and CAF President, Issa Hayatou, during the 2014 Glo/CAF Award in Lagos
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Nigeria’s
Vincent Enyeama has admitted Cotê d’Ivoire skipper Yaya Toure was a
worthy winner of the 2014 African Player of the Year award. Yaya Toure was on
Thursday named the Glo/CAF African Footballer of the Year beating Nigeria’s
Vincent Enyeama and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the process. The Cotê d’Ivoire
and Manchester City player became the first African to win the award in four
straight years.
Media report Yaya
won the title for a fourth straight time after polling 175 votes against 120 by
Aubameyang while Enyeama settled for third-place with 105 points.
Speaking
during the post-award conference, the Lille goalkeeper said his inability to
win the coveted crown was not a question of the Super Eagles’ failure to reach
the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations while supporting the decision of the
Confederation of African Football to name the Manchester City star as Africa’s
best.
“It
doesn’t count. It pains me that Nigeria will not be at the Africa Cup of
Nations and for the award, I support the decision of tonight, a big
congratulations to him [Yaya] and I thank God for him,” said Enyeama.
Enyeama
becomes the first goalkeeper to make the top three shortlist of the award since
its induction by CAF in 1992. Kanu Nwankwo last won the award for Nigeria in
1999 dusting off challenge from Samuel Kuffour and Ibrahima Bakayoko.
Nigerians
who were full of expectations were compensated with the Woman Player of the
Year award which went expectedly to Asisat Oshoala. She was the Highest Goal
Scorer and Most Valuable Player at the 2014 FIFA U20 championship held in
Canada. The Rivers Angels player was also the MVP of the African Women
Championship in Namibia last year.
African
Player of the Year (Based in Africa) was won by Firmin Mubele Ndombe of the DR
Congo.
Algeria
won the National Team of the Year (Men). The North Africans were clearly the
best African team at the 2014 World Cup after the Nigerian and Ghanaian teams
were consumed by fights over dollars.
Super
Falcons beat the Falconets and Cameroon to win the Team of the Year (Women).
The
Club of the Year award went Es Setif of Algeria.
The
CAF Fair Play Award renamed after Late Cameroonian Albert Ebosse is not up for
grabs this year till next edition. The Most Promising Talent award was won by
Yacine Brahimi of Algeria. He was ahead of Cameroon duo of Clinton N’jie and
Vincent Aboubakar.
Kheireddine
Madoui of Algeria’s ES Setif was named the Coach of the Year while Papa Bakary
Gassama was voted as the Referee of the Year.
African
Legend award was shared by Cameroon’s Oryx Club Class of 1964 and Stade Malien
of Mali.
Nigeria
pair Vincent Enyeama and Ahmed Musa made the African team XI. Moise Katumbi of
DR Congo and owner of TP Mazembe got the African Football Leader award while
CAF Platinum award went to Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan and Ghana FA
president Kwesi Nyantakyi.
FULL WINNERS LIST
African
Player of the Year – Based in Africa
Ndombe
Mubele (DR Congo and AS Vita)
Women’s
Player of the Year
Asisat
Oshoala
Youth
Player of the Year
Asisat
Oshoala
Most
Promising Talent
Yacine
Brahimi
Coach
of the Year
Kheireddine
Madoui (ES Setif)
National
Team of the Year
Algeria
Women’s
National Team of the Year
Nigeria
Club
of the Year
ES
Setif
Referee
of the Year
Papa Bakary Gassama
(Gambia)
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