Aboutrika Shafted for 2008 Africa Player Of The Year

Arsenal’s high scoring striker Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor became the 1st Togolese player to win the Confederation of African Football Player Of the Year. In an awards ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, Adebayor beat out Egypt & Al-Ahly midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika and Ghana & Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien for the honor.

Once again the player that deserved to win The Player Of The Year Award didn’t win it.  In South America, Juan Sebastián Verón won South American Footballer Of The Year when it should have been Ecuador’s Joffre Guerrón.  This time Mohamed Aboutrika was the one who got screwed and had to settle for the Inter-Club Player of the Year.

(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)

Mohamed Aboutrika wins every major trophy in Africa for 2009, was the most influential player for both Egypt & Al-Ahly and gets the Inter-Club Player of the Year!  That’s like hooking up with the ugly fat girl while some scrub pulls Sofia Vergara.  Aboutrika should be insulted and act like Kanye West does when Kanye doesn’t win an award.    

Look, Emmanuel Adebayor had a breakout season and he was one of the top candidates when we previewed the African Player of the Year award but he was not more deserving than Mohamed Aboutrika.  The Egyptian playmaker won trophies & scored goals in crucial situations.  Adebayor scored a ton of goals for a trophy-less team. 

Adebayor winning over Aboutrika sends the message that scoring goals for a trophy less side in Europe is more impressive than being the catalyst for  teams that won the two most important trophies on the African continent.   The CAF values scoring goals in Europe more than winning massive trophies on its own continent.  Please tell me that Africa is not becoming Eurocentric and falling into the trap of European ball being the “end all be all.”

There is talk of a bias in the CAF in favor of sub-Saharan national teams.  That talk is probably based in the disappointment of Aboutrika not winning the Africa POY.  Egypt did deservedly win the lion’s share of awards so maybe that makes up for Aboutrika being slighted but the Egyptian FA should be upset that Aboutrika didn’t win the continent’s most glamourous footballing honor.  Fact is, this time the CAF should have followed the BBC in naming Mohamed Aboutrika as the African Footballer Of The Year.

Despite Aboutrika getting the shaft, there was still much to celebrate so check out who won CAF awards for 2008 at the award gala in Lagos, Nigeria. 

By the way, the CAF Awards Gala has to be the best awards ceremony on the planet.  Not everyone is in a suit & tie or fancy dress, people are wearing traditional garments from their respective nations giving the CAF Awards Gala a unique flavor.  Can’t say that about any other confederations awards gala.