Sports
CAF Awards: Weah Joins Amuneke, Ikpeba, Kanu In Ghana
Past winners of the African Football of the Year Awards are expected in Accra, Ghana at the 26th edition of the awards which holds today. Among the galaxy of stars will be Liberia’s George Weah who was last week elected as the 25th president of his country.
He is expected to attract the greatest attention at the International Conference Centre venue of the event. He will possibly be accorded diplomatic status.
He set a record of being the first former top athlete to become a head of state. He had been the only footballer to score an unusual hat trick as simultaneous holder of World Footballer of the Year, European Football of the Year and African Footballer of the Year – all in one year. A feat he achieved in 1997.
Joining him are the living trio of Nigerian past winners of the CAF Awards – Emmanuel Amuneke, Victor Ikpeba and Nwankwo Kanu – all winners in 1994, 1997 and 1999 respectively. Rashidi Yekini, winner of the award in 1993 is deceased.
The Nigerians are part of the galaxy of awardees from 1992 that CAF has invited to the occasion being sponsored for the first time by Nigeria-based Aiteo.
The past awardees range from Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew (1992) through to Riyad Mahrez who was crowned in 2016. The past winners represent various generations and CAF has indicated that they will be given prominence at the ceremony designed to celebrate the key stakeholders of African football.
Others are Cameroonian and four-time winner, Samuel Eto’o and compatriot Patrick Mboma, Ivorian Yaya Toure, a four-time winner and countryman Didier Drogba and El Hadji Diouf of Senegal. The rest are Mustapha Hadji of Morocco, Malian Frederic Kanoute, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Togolese Emmanuel Adebayor. Also, the women are not left out as previous Queens of African football are also pencilled for the biggest assemblage of football stakeholders.
The list of invitees is not only limited to previous winners, but also to other players and officials whose contribution towards the progress of African football cannot be overlooked.
The championship will run from today to October 12 at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia. On the ground for the championship are athletes from Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda. They arrived on Sunday.
Some of the other countries were expected in the Abia State capital yesterday. Speaking on the championship, yesterday, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Nwobilor Ananaba, said the chief host, Governor Alex Otti, has mobilised facilities and the personnel to ensure a successful event.
Speaking through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Raymond Chima Ukwa, said: “We have the best mats, playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.
“If you go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable world-class playing field.” Thrilled by Governor Otti’s support for the competition, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) President, Francis Orbih, said that, besides making all the necessary arrangements that will ensure a successful hosting of the events, “we will have a Para-Badminton workshop for coaches and players.
“Nigeria is doing well, Abia is doing well, and we want to do better to improve on where we are, which is why all these have been put together by Governor Otti.”
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles began their campaign at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup with a narrow 1–0 loss to Norway on Monday, despite creating several opportunities to level the game.
Norway took the lead in the 9th minute after being awarded a controversial penalty. The Flying Eagles pressed for an equaliser but were denied two penalty claims in the second half.
Kparobo Arierhi came close in the 47th minute when his shot drifted wide with the goalkeeper beaten, while Tahir Maigana struck the upright in the 63rd minute.
Nasiru Salihu’s rising effort in the 71st minute also went narrowly over the bar, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Seven minutes from time, Maigana again tested Norway with a long-range strike that went just wide as Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure.
Despite their dominance, the Flying Eagles could not find the breakthrough and now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Saudi Arabia in their second group match.
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