Former
Nigeria international, Segun Odegbami, has said that no player from the
country deserves to be named the next CAF African Player of the Year.
The
continental body has named the final five-man shortlist for the prize
and they are: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez, Sadio
Mane, Egypt’s Mohammed Salah and Islam Slimani
Nigeria’s trio of Kelechi Iheancho, John Mikel Obi and Ahmed Musa who were all on the initial list, did not make the cut.
The
list came as a result of the votes by the members of the CAF Media
Committee, CAF Technical and Development Committee and half of the
20-member panel of experts.
Odegbami, writing in his
CompleteSports column, said: “It is ironic that Nigeria may have one of
the strongest national teams in the continent of Africa at the moment,
yet the country does not have a single representative in the last five
shortlisted players for the 2016 African Player of the Year Award! That
speaks volumes.
“At the start of the year 2016, the Nigerian
national team was in shambles. The Nigerian people had lost all
confidence in an unstable team that was ‘wobbling and fumbling’ from
match to match, unable to score goals, unable to win matches, unable to
convince anyone that they had the same DNA as the team that had made the
Super Eagles brand a globally appreciated and respected phenomenon that
always entertained with glimpses of huge possibilities in world
football.
“The two years preceding 2016 were ‘bad’ for Nigerian
football and indigenous coaches were made to bear the brunt of
responsibility for not producing a national team of class and of really
outstanding players worthy to be crowned best in Africa, an award that
Nigeria had completely dominated at a time not too far away in the past.
“Looking
back at the past few months, even I, the unofficial leader of the
anti-foreign coach for Nigeria advocacy group, is now left holding
feebly to my nationalistic ideals, and looking on as a change truly has
come for the national team with the introduction of a foreign coach and a
few players, suddenly, have begun to look like good enough candidates
to wear the coveted African crown very soon. Unfortunately, for the 2016
awards, their surge into reckoning is coming too late in the day.
“Last
week, Africa made their choices and no Nigerian was shortlisted for the
award, understandably. Their own time will come from 2017 when one of
the present set of players dazzling beautifully in the EPL, and with
several others coming up faintly in the horizon in other teams in
Europe, will reclaim their lost crown and glory. I can guarantee that
Victor Moses’ and Kelechi Iheanacho’s names will be high up on the list
of candidates in 2017!
“That’s why I am in agreement completely
with CAF’s final choice of the last five players from whom a 2016
African player of the year will be chosen.”
The award will be staged in Abuja in January 2017.
from dailypost