Rab’s World

Mali and Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute won the 2007 CAF African Footballer of the Year award on Friday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced.The Sevilla forward is the first European-born player to win the award after beating off competition from Ivorian captain Didier Drogba and Michael Essien of Ghana.

Kanoute was nominated for his role in helping Mali qualify for this year’s CAF African Cup of Nations finals and triumphs last season with Spanish club Sevilla in the UEFA and King’s Cups. The African Footballer of the Year award is voted for by the national coaches of the 53 CAF associations. Kanoute played for his native France as a junior international before switching allegiance in 2004 to Mali, his father’s country. He is the first Malian to win the award since Salif Keita took the inaugural title in 1970. But there is considerable controversy! Didier Drogba claims that the Confederation of African Football offered him the honour and then withdrew it when he was unable to attend. Drogba told The Telegraph: “In the end I declined to go to the ceremony. I did that for my team-mates and because within the group we had been through an unfortunate death. I was going to send my wife to the awards in case there was a prize to receive, when I was informed by somebody from CAF that she would not be welcomed, and that the rules could change if I wasn’t there and the award be given to the person who had finished second. That shocked me.” He has also decided to withdraw from any further awards. “From now on I’ve decided to withdraw from all voting for CAF awards,” said Double D. “It has lost a lot of value in my opinion.”

Did CAF forget that there was a serious competition in Africa called the CAN/ACN? Also noting that Ivory Coast ( La Côte D’Ivoire) was still in the competition with a Quarter final match coming up against Guinée.I don’t blame Drogba for not going 45 minutes by air to Lomé. Hell..CAF could’ve organized this in Accra!

Here’s a quote from World Cup Blog.org: “How crazy are CAF to schedule the award ceremony in the middle of their most prestigious event? Very crazy, that’s how much. It devalues the award, insults Drogba and demeans Fredi Kanoute’s achievement. How can Kanoute enjoy a trophy that he only has because Drogba couldn’t be there to pick it up?“Frederic Kanoute