Controversy Greets Caf Award

Malian international, Frederic Kanoute crowning as the 2007 African Footballer of the Year has been greeted with controversial comments, that he does not deserve the award.

Kanoute, who plies his trade with Spanish Club, Sevilla was knighted ahead of Chelsea's duo of Didier Drogba, last year's winner and Michael Essien at the Glo/CAF Awards held in Lome, Togo on Friday night.

The annual event, sponsored by Nigerian cellular phone company, Globacom also saw the presentation of various awards to other footballers, clubs and technical directors, among others.

The announcement of Kanoute, who led the Malian team to an unimpressive outing in the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Ghana, was greeted with shock and surprise.

According to ex-Ghanaian international, Tony Yeboah, the Malian striker was a wrong choice for the coveted award.

Tony Yeboah, who played for German giant, Eintracht Frankfurt and English premiership club, Leeds United, banging in goals with ease, told DAILY GUIDE that Kanoute does not deserve the award.

“The race for the 2007 African Footballer of the year was clearly between Ghana's Essien and the Ivorian Captain, Didier Drogba.

Who is Kanoute? He does not play near the level of Essien and Drogba,” Yeboah charged.

Abedi Ayew Pele, former Black Stars captain and three times winner of the award was equally shocked about the choice, but later endorsed him, pointing out that his performance at the Club level might have justified it.

Abedi said having helped Sevilla to lift the UEFA Cup last year, Kanoute might not be a wrong choice after all.

But Tony Yeboah insisted that the UEFA Championship and the UEFA Cup are two different tournaments.

“You cannot compare the UEFA Cup to the championship,” he stated.

Observers are revisiting the age-old rivalry between the Anglophone and Francophone countries, pointing fingers at CAF executives' preference for footballers from the francophone zone.

Since CAF took over the running of the award from the French Football Magazine in 1995, it has all been a French affair except from 1995 to 1997 when George Weah of Liberia, as well as Kanu Nwankwo and Victor Ikpeba, both Nigerians were crowned.

Expectations were high that Essien would grab it at his third successive nomination for the award.

His club mate, Didier Drogba did not show up even though he was selected among the 10 all-time best players on the continent in the last 50 years.

The Ghanaian international, who attended the Lome awards night with a security escort, must have been consoled by the cheers he received from football fans who would not allow him to leave the Palace of Congress, venue of the event.From Fortune Alimi, Lome