The 2013 Confederation of African, CAF/Glo Award held in Lagos, Nigeria could be described as robbing Peter to pay Paul as Chelsea and Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi lost the African Footballer of the year award while Nigeria won five medals.
Sunday Mba, whose goal in the final of the AFCON gave Nigeria the trophy also lost the African Footballer of the year award (players based in the continent) to Mohammed Aboutrika.
However, Nigeria swept five medals. The Super Eagles won the award for the 'National Team of the Year', while the national Under-17 team, Golden Eaglets, also won 'Youth National Team of the Year'.
Golden Eaglets' wonder kid, Kelechi Iheanacho, unsurprisingly won the 'Most Promising Talent' Award. Ihenacho was the most decorated at the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, winning the tournament's Adidas Golden Ball Award for the overall best player, alongside the Silver Boot Award for being the second highest goal scorer, as he helped Nigeria to its 4th title to become the most successful team in the history of the age grade competition.
Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, was also named 'African Coach of the Year' for his exploits with the African Champions. Keshi became the first Nigerian to win the Nations' Cup as player and coach, and only the second African coach to do so after Egypt's Mahmoud El-Gohary.
Fair Play Award went to the Nigerian Supporters Club, globally popular for their constant playing of music and dancing while supporting the Nigerian national teams.
Other winners at the awards were Egyptian, Mohammed Aboutreika, who beat Nigeria's African Nations' Cup final hero, Sunday Mba, to win the 'African Player of the Year based in Africa', while the 'Club of the Year' went to Al Ahly FC of Egypt.
The 'Referee of the Year' award went to Algerian, Haimoudi Djamel, who officiated the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Final between Nigeria and Burkina Faso, and also officiated the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup play-off for third place between Uruguay and Italy.
The African Team of the Year is made up of Vincent Enyeama (NIG), Ahmed Fathy (EGY), Mehdi (MOR), Kevin Constant (GUI), Mikel Obi (NIG), Mohammed Aboutreika (EGY), Yaya Toure (CIV), Jonathan Pitroipa (BFA), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (GAB), Emmanuel Emenike (NIG), Asamoah Gyan (GHA) Coach Stephen Keshi (NIG).
Five Nigerian players from the successful AFCON 2013 Eagles were nominated for the now lost 'African Player of the Year' Award; they include Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa, Mikel Obi, Sunday Mba and Vincent Enyeama.
Only Mikel Obi made the final 3 man nominees list alongside the 3rd time winner, Ivorian, Yaya Toure and his Ivorian counterpart, Didier Drogba.
However many soccer followers were disappointed by the outcome of the award as Mikel was highly favoured by many who saw his exploits and team successes with club and country in 2013 as the best credentials to claim the award which has eluded Nigerian footballers since Kanu Nwankwo won it in the year 1999. The loss of the ultimate crown would cast a gloom on the other successes.
A sports analyst, Kunle Adeleye on a television programme claimed that Mikel deserves the award because of his scintillating performance in the African Cup of Nations, AFCON in South Africa, where he emerged the second Most Valuable Player, MVP behind Jonathan Pitroipa of Burkina-Faso.
He also noted that Mikel's performance at the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil will not go unnoticed especially when he grabbed a goal against Uruguay and his dazzling form against the likes of Xavi and Iniesta.
However, Yemi Aderibigbe thinks otherwise. He noted that if Toure is removed from the Manchester City team, the team will fail but that cannot be the same with Mikel. He however admitted that Mikel had his time in 2013.
On Sunday Mba, he claimed that the Warri Wolves player was consistent for the Super Eagles right from the day he was invited to the national team till the day he played his last game including the goal he scored in the final of the AFCON.
A football enthusiast, Joseph Okonkwo believes that Mikel and Mba were sacrificed for the other five awards won by the country. According to him, “CAF does not want the award to look as if it is Nigeria's award and because they are hosting it in the country that is why they gave everything to Nigeria.”
He further noted that the other awards won by Nigeria are uncontestable but the categories where Mikel and Mba are contestable hence the reasons why they denied them.
“If the duo of Mikel and Mba have won the award, it would have been seven out of 10 or 11 awards and that may not speak well of CAF but that shouldn't have been an excuse. If a country deserves everything, the awards should go to that country, that will help the other countries to sit up,” he concluded.
Okonkwo however questioned the yardstick used in determining the winner of the CAF/Glo award. He claimed that CAF exposed their deficiencies by omitting Drogba from the African Team of the Year after nominating him as the third best player in the African Footballer Award.
It would be recalled that Austin Jay Jay Okocha was denied the award in 1998 because of Mustapha Hadji of Morocco's scissor-kick. He was also denied the award in 2003 when Samuel Eto'O Fils was chosen ahead of him because he plays for Barcelona while Okocha plays for lowly-rated Bolton Wanderers of England.
The last time Nigeria won the award was in 1999 by Kanu Nwankwo. Other past winners are Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amunike, Victor Ikpeba.
Past CAF African Footballer of the Year winners
1992: Abedi Pele Ayew (Marseille, France/Ghana)
1993: Rashidi Yekini (Victoria Setubal, Portugal/ Nigeria)
1994: Emmanuel Amunike (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal/Nigeria)
1995: George Weah
(AC Milan, Italy/Liberia)
1996: Nwankwo Kanu (Inter Milan, Italy/Nigeria)
1997: Victor Ikpeba (Monaco, France/Nigeria)
1998: Mustapha Hadji (Deportivo Coruna, Spain/ Morocco)
1999: Nwankwo Kanu (Arsenal, England/Nigeria)
2000: Patrick Mboma (Parma, Italy/Cameroon)
2001: El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (Rennes, France/Senegal)
2002: El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (Liverpool, England/ Senegal)
2003: Samuel Eto'o (Real Mallorca, Spain/Cameroon)
2004: Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona/Real Mallorca, Spain and Cameroon)
2005: Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Spain and Cameroon)
2006: Drogba Didier (Cote d'Ivoire/Chelsea)
2007: Frédéric Kanouté (Mali/Sevilla FC)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayour (Togo/Arsenal)
2009: Drogba Didier (Cote d'Ivoire/Chelsea)
2010: Samuel Eto'O (Cameroon/Inter Milan)
2011: Yaya Toure (Cote d'Ivoire/Manchester City)
2012: Yaya Toure (Cote d'Ivoire/Manchester City)
2013: Yaya Toure (Cote d'Ivoire/Manchester City)
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