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Liberia’s football marvel George Weah isn’t actively involved
with football, but his inexorable support to the syrupy sport
might earn him another prominent CAF Award – African Legend
Award, which comes up February 15 in Johannesburg, South
Africa.
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Weah with the ESPY Awards |
Weah, 39, who a decade ago was voted African Player of year, the sumptuous FIFA World Footballer and the Onze
Mondial (European Best), has been nominated alongside Mahmoud Al Khatib
(Egypt) and Pierre Kalala (DR Congo) in the 2004 African
Legend Award category.
Africa champions, Tunisia, dominate the list of award nominees
with a candidate in six of the ten categories of awards out
for grasp.
Having bagged the 2004 African Nations Cup, Tunisia is
intensely tipped to snatch the Team of the year award ahead of
Ivory Coast and Morocco.
Tunisia's
French coach, Roger Lemerre, battles for the Coach of the year
award with Badou Zaki of Morocco and Okey Emordi who powered
Nigeria’s Enyimba to two successive African Club
Championships.
Also, Esperance FC of Tunisia goal poacher, Ali Zitouni and
Etoile du Sahel’s veteran star Zoubeir Beya as well as Enyimba
and Nigeria’s ace goalie, Vincent Enyeama, will sort it out
for the Best Performer in the Champions League.
Inter Milan and Nigeria’s promising striker, Obafemi Martins,
is again nominated for the Young Player of the year award,
which he captured in 2003.
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Didier Drobga of Ivory
Coast/ Chelsea FC - England |
Martins that had been scoring vital goals for the Nerazzurri
lately, faces tough resistance from Marouane Chamakh
(Morocco/Bordeaux-France) and Ahmed Fathi (Egypt/Ismaili-Egypt).
Paradoxically, Samuel Eto’o of FC Barcelona and Cameroon and
Didier Drogba of Chelsea FC and Ivory Coast have agreed to
participate in the FIFA-Tsunami relief football match on the
same day of the CAF gala, but their absence will leave no void
in the pronouncement of the African Player of year 2004.
African Footballer of the year nominees:
Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon/FC Barcelona-Spain); Jayjay Okocha
(Nigeria/Bolton Wanderers-England); Didier Drogba (Ivory
Coast/Chelsea FC-England); Emmanuel Adebayor (AS
Monaco-France/Togo); Bennie McCarthy (FC Porto-Portugal/South
Africa).
Team of the year nominees:
Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Morocco.
Club of the Year nominees:
2004 CAF Champions League Winners Enyimba (Nigeria), 2004 and
first Confederation Cup Winners, Hearts of Oak (Ghana) and
Etoile du Sahel (Tunisai), runners-up of the 2004 CAF Champion
League.
Coach of the year nominees:
Roger Lemerre (Tunisia), Okey Emordi (Enyimba/Nigeria) and
Badou Zaki (Morocco).
Goalkeeper of the year nominees:
Vincent Enyeama (Enyimba - Nigeria/Nigeria), and Idriss Carlos
(Espanyol - Spain/Cameroon).
Young Player of the year nominees:
Obafemi Martins (Inter Milan-Italy/Nigeria), Marouane Chamakh
(Bordeaux - France/Morocco) and Ahmed Fathi (Ismaili -
Egypt/Egypt).
Best Champions League Player nominees:
Ali Zitouni (Esperance - Tunisia/Tunisia), Zoubeir Beya (Etoile
du Sahel- Tunisia/Tunisia) and Enyimba and Vincent Enyeama (Eyimba
-Nigeria/Nigeria).
African Legend Award nominees:
George Weah (Liberia), Mahmoud Al Khatib (Egypt) and Pierre
Kalala (DR Congo) |
