12th October, 2015
Taiwo Adelu
No Nigerian player was good enough to make the 24-man list of nominees released Sunday by Confederation of African Football, CAF, for the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa) award category.
The list is an indictment on the standard of Nigerian local league, as the award category is to celebrate players plying their trades on the continent.
While Nigeria is not having a single player on the list, a North African country, Algeria can boast of four nominees.
A breakdown of the list shows that countries such as South Africa, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Tunisia and even Sudan have two nominees each for the award.
Interestingly, the likes of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Tanzania, Congo, DR Congo, Mali and Burkina Faso parade one player each in the list.
The list expected to be pruned down to three out of which the winner will be decided at a yet to be announced venue of CAF award nite, which is sponsored by Nigerian telecommunications company, Globacom.
The full list:
1. Abdeladim Khadrouf Moghreb Tetouan, Morocco, (Morocco)
2. Abdelmalek Ziaya ES SETIF, Algeria, (Algeria)
3. Ahmed AKAICHI Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia, (Tunisia)
4. Andiramahitsinoro Carolus USMA, Algeria, (Madagascar)
5. Baghdâd Bounedjah Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia, (Algeria)
6. Bakri el Madina El Merriekh, Sudan, (Sudan)
7. Bassem Morsi Zamalek, Egypt, (Egypt)
8. Boris Moubhio AC. Leopards, Congo, (Congo)
9. Djigui Diarra Stade Malien, Mali, (Mali)
10. Felipe Ovono Orlando Pirates, South Africa, (Equatorial Guinea)
11. Guelassiognon Sylvain GBOHOUO T.P Mazembe, D.R Congo, (Côte d’Ivoire)
12. Hazem Emam Zamalek, Egypt, (Egypt)
13. Hocine Ragued Espérance de Tunis, Tunisia, (Tunisia)
14. Kermit Erasmus Orlando Pirates, South Africa, (South Africa)
15. Malick Evouna Al Ahly, Egypt, (Gabon)
16. Mbwana Aly Samatta T.P Mazembé, D.R Congo, (Tanzania)
17. Mohamed Koffi Zamalek, Egypt, (Burkina Faso)
18. Mohamed Meftah USMA, Algeria, (Algeria)
19. Moudather el Tahir AL HILAL, Sudan, (Sudan)
20. Oupa Manyisa ORLANDO PIRATES, South Africa, (South Africa)
21. Robert Kidiaba T.P Mazembe, D.R Congo, (D.R Congo)
22. Roger Assalé T.P Mazembe, D.R Congo, (Cote d’Ivoire)
23. Thamsanqa Gabuza Orlando Pirates, South Africa, (South Africa)
24. Zein Edin Farahat USMA, Algeri, (Algeria)