By Gbengus Gbenguse, New York
- babwire7@yahoo.com
AT THE BEGINNING:
Nice piece you wrote here Mr.Olajide. You are right about how CAF operate as a former colony of the French axis. The problem with the CAF awards dates back to over three decades ago, when CAF allowed France Football magazine to conduct the awards and name who was Africa's best player during that time.
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| M. K. O. Abiola...challenged CAF for change |
The awards were biased and it always favoured players from French and Arab speaking countries in Africa. Even when our teams were winning continental championships in the mid 70's, the award was always given to a player, who either came from the French or Arab speaking countries in Africa.
The sad thing was there was no objection from big footballing countries like Nigeria, Ghana and others who kept quiet and allowed this injustice to continue for many years. It's shame this happened because our own NFA and other football associations, especially the English speaking countries, were clueless on the inner workings on how CAF operated back then, when CAF pretty much contracted everything to France Football.
When, Abdel Halim Mohammad of Sudan and Ydnekatchew Tessema of Ethiopia were in charge of CAF. They allowed things to get out of hand by not taking control of the awards right from the beginning, when they started awarding the best players in the continent in 1970. It's what I call the marginalization of other parts of Africa, whose players also contributed to the immense growth of the game by the impact they had on the field but never got any recognition for their efforts. It was like French re-colonization of Africa all over again, through football, right before our own eyes and nothing was done to stop it. A look at the players, who won the awards during the 70s you will see the list of players and countries that have been selected and picked for the award.
ODEGBAMI WAS CHEATED TOO:
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| Odegbami...was also cheated |
I've always wondered how Segun Odegbami, Nigeria's best player in the 70's for both club and country somehow didn't win the award when he played a pivotal role for Shooting Stars of Ibadan, when they won the Cup Winners Cup in 1976. Yet the award was given to Roger Milla, an African legend, who I like also, but for the fact that he came from a French speaking country which was why he won the award.
The following year in 1977, the award was given to Tarek Dhiab of Tunisia because of his exploits for Esperance FC of Tunisia, but no player from Rangers International of Enugu was recognized after their Cup Winners Cup win that year. Again, when Odegbami played a crucial role in Nigeria's Cup of Nations win in 1980, even scoring two goals in the final against Algeria, he was overlooked and the award was given to Jean Manga-Onguene of Cameroon, who I felt didn't deserve it even till today. The injustices and their selection criteria need a lot of explanation.
M. K. O. ABIOLA:
The biased selection and injustice continued for many years until when Chief M.K.O Abiola (RIP) finally issued an ultimatum to CAF President Issa Hayatou who took over CAF in 1988, for CAF to take over the awards process from France Football magazine and start conducting the awards by themselves or risk losing his presidency for good.
It was this ultimatum that that changed the whole process and in 1992, CAF awarded the first African Footballer of the Year award to Nigerian International Rashidi Yekini who had a great African Cup of Nations tournament in Dakar '92 by being the top scorer in the tournament with five goals.
France Football magazine was still defiant and conducting their own separate awards for best African footballer of the year until they finally gave it up when they realized it was losing its significance and wasn't recognized anymore by the footballing world. Nigerian football lacks the pedigree and voice of someone like Chief M.K.O Abiola, who knew the inner workings of how CAF and other sporting organizations operated and immediately did something to address it when it became clear what was going on.
It was also one of the many reasons why players like Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amunike, and Kanu Nwankwo won the awards and Finidi George, Sunday Oliseh and other African players from different parts of Africa was also recognized for their contribution to African Football. I guess CAF is back to their usual ways of doing things because nobody has challenged them or brought it out in the open on why the process is flawed and not equally fair.
THE ETO’O FUNCTION:
Samuel Eto'o has been one of Africa's best players over the last decade especially with his exploits in Spain, Italy and what he has done for Cameroon. But some of his awards comes with a question mark and he must also be wondering how he keeps getting selected all the time. Asamoah Gyan has been a revelation for Ghana this year at the African Cup of Nations in Angola where his three goals got Ghana to the finals and his crucial goals at the World Cup in South Africa got Ghana to their first ever quarterfinal berth in their only second time in the World Cup.
No doubt, he missed a crucial penalty against Uruguay that would have taken Ghana to the semi-finals of the World Cup, but his contributions to the Black Stars of Ghana and the impact he has had in 2010 cannot also not be denied and should have been awarded the award as a way to herald a new and upcoming player to the world.
The CAF voting process is still flawed and unless African FA's like Nigeria, Ghana and others speak up and demand a fair process on how these selections are made, we shall continue to see shades of what it was like back then, when France Football magazine was conducting the awards. The process must change.
Also, when Austin JJ Okocha should have won the award in 1998, he lost by just two points to Moroccan international Mustapha Hadji. Festus Onigbinde and Paul Bassey, two of Nigeria's representatives in CAF during that time forgot to vote for him! In 2003, when he should have won the award, after a fantastic season with Bolton Wanderers, saving them from relegation and guiding them to a League Cup Final, he lost out to Eto'o.
Christian Chukwu, Nigeria's coach at that time failed to vote because NFF didn't bother to give the form to him to complete after they claimed CAF didn't fax or send the form to them. In 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, where Austin JJ Okocha gave a career performance and won the MVP, but yet somehow, lost out to Samuel Eto'o again for reasons unknown.
I read this piece when a colleague of mine, a lawyer, having argued this some days back sent me the blog which I opened, read and had a wonderful education, information and deeper insights. Mr Fashikun's gave a good background and Mr Gbenguse did a deeper tour into history.
ReplyDeleteMy fears include, where can we get another M. K. O. Abiola that will help bring some levels of respect to Nigerian sports?
Can Nigeria get someone to run as the CAF president? We should be the giant of Africa both in playing football and in administration. Please, someone wake this snoring giant in Nigeria.
This is one blog I have refused in recent days not to visit. I get myself amused and informed with the quality of information I read there.
ReplyDeleteThis is also why Bashorun M. K. O. Abiola (may his soul continue to rest in peace) will remain so relevant to the future. See, he is dead but his deeds are still flowing in our minds.
Sports is one core area that can make this wonderful nation of our continue to be relevant in Africa and the world.
If elected Governor of Kwara by God's grace, sports is surely going to be one of the strongest industry to engage the future of our children. There is so much power in sports with what I have been reading here for some days now.
To say that i and Chief Onigbinge forgot to vote for Okocha is not only laughable but insulting.
ReplyDeleteNigerians over the years have refused to be acquainted with the modalities of the vote.
A Tunisian member of the CAF media or techical committee is not likely to vote an Osaze in 2011 because he is not afforded an opportunity of watching live transmissions of the premiership.
Now that the voting process has been modified to involve all the national team coaches of African countries,what more can we ask for?
Drogba had to go to England for Nigerians to know that he was better than Okocha in the year under review.
Football is an outdoor game, not played under cover.
Less of emotions
Some objectivity pls.
don't subscribe to the idea that we should criticise CAF just for the sake of it. We must bear in mind that awards are subjective, especially the ones based on voting like the CAF awards. If the coaches in Africa felt it was Eto'o that deserved it, then why should we blame CAF? Besides, if I'd had a vote it would have gone to Eto'o. The guy won everything there was to win in club football in 2010 and did not do too badly for the national team, whereas Gyan's only claim to fame were strong performances at the Nations Cup and World Cup. Are we supposed to just disregard his contributions to Inter's tremendous treble just because Gyan scored three World Cup goals? I don't think so. As a matter of fact, it is the World Player of the Year that we should have issues with. Wesley Sneijder was one of Inter's main men in their treble season and scored five World Cup goals without being a striker, yet he is not even in the top 3. Bros Fash, pls let's not bash CAF unnecessarily. Merry Xmas"
ReplyDeletebbc is just a radio station and their award is by their listenners. what of those who listen to brilla fm, radio nigeria, radio france international, channels tv, stv ait and so on. And how come all those listed includinf Gyan are all foreign based. Gyan did not win a single trophy during the yr in question while Eto'o wo a quadruple!"
ReplyDeleteMr. Bassey- The article I wrote stated the facts on how bogus the CAF awards have been for many years dating back to 1970 when it first started. This article points it out. Nigerians have every right to ask questions, when they feel something is not right about how the whole process works. When certain players, from French and Arab speaking countries in Africa were getting selected all the time and others weren't, despite the role and impact they contributed to African Football back then. This is even before players went abroad as we see today. Then you have to ask what type of process was in place before the change took place in the early 90's when CAF finally took over the awards from France Football Magazine who were biased with their selective process on who were the best players from Africa during that time. Then, there is nothing wrong in asking the right questions.
ReplyDeleteDespite Nigeria's contribution and impact they've had on the continent at all levels, it took two decades later before Nigeria finally got its first award, when Former Nigerian International Rashidi Yekini won it in 1992. We all know France Football Magazine awarded Abedi Pele, another African legend, the award that same year all just because he played for Olympic Marseille in France and nothing else. The process for France Football Magazine back then was, if you weren't from the Francophone countries, North Africa or played in the French league, your chances of winning the award was very slim as I highlighted with the case of Segun Odegbami, former Nigerian International who despite his top performances for both club and country didn't win the award because he didn't come from any of the French speaking countries in Africa, North Africa or played professional football in France.
Like you stated, "Nigerians over the years have refused to be acquainted with the modalities of the vote". Then how come the voting process has never been explained to a populace that wants answers on how players are selected for the African Footballer of the Year award during the 70's and 80's when the process was biased and selective? People have the right to know.
While a lot has changed over the years in how the process works, contribution to African football and the impact the players continue to have with their stellar displays should be encouraged more which only benefits African Football at the end of the day.
CAF as a Confederation body for Africa, have a role to play on and off the field, to continue to take African football to greater heights and not just base things on what happens in the Premiership, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and other leagues in Europe. TP Mazembe's performance in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup tournament in U.A.E showed with further investment in African football, investment, dedication and more opportunities, there is no reason why an African club can't win the trophy sometime in the future. In football, you win on and off the field. That is where success is defined at the end of the day.