Aubameyang, Katongo, Yaya, Drogba, Gervinho...among 10 nominees for CAF award

By Bunmi OgunyaleNovember 4, 2012 23:27:03pm GMTCAF ball

WorldStage Newsonline-- Super Eagles’ midfielder John Obi Mikel who plays for Chelsea Football Club, Yaya Toure (Manchester City) and Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua) are among the 10 top players announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Sunday in Cairo, as the final nominees for the African Footballer of the Year awards.

Other players shortlisted for the award are Alexander Song (Barcelona), Andre Ayew (Marseille), Christopher Katongo (Henan Construction of China), Demba Ba (Newcastle), Gervinho (Arsenal), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Saint Etienne), and Younes Belhanda (Montpellier).

The Nigerian midfielder recorded more success with club than country this year, winning European Champions League and an FA title with Chelsea. The success was, however, not replicated at the national level and Mikel’s Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 AFCON finals.

CAF’s Technical, Football and Media committees decided on the nominees which will now be passed on to head coaches and technical directors from CAF-member associations whose votes will decide the eventual winners.

CAF will announce the top three in the last week of November.

Ivorian Yaya Toure was voted 2011 African Player of the Year, while Tunisian Oussam Darragi was crowned last year’s African Player of the Year-Based in Africa.