By Gracious Akujobi
Head coach of Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi and former Super Eagles defender, Ben Iroha have differed sharply over the Chelsea FC star Mikel Obi’s chances of winning this year’s Glo CAF Footballer of the Year Award billed to hold in Lagos.
While Keshi, fondly called ‘the Big Boss’ feels Mikel Obi is miles ahead of other contenders for the coveted award, Iroha, on the other hand favours Ivorian and Man City midfielder Yaya Toure.
Keshi in a chat with Prompt News Online in Abuja, said with Mikel’s performance at club and national team, he is already well positioned to win the 2013 GLO African Footballer award
According to him, Mikel has done so well that he does not see anybody beating him to the award this time adding that it would be unfair of any coach to vote contrary
“Mikel deserves to win the award after his five star performances at the Africa Cup of Nations, the Europa Cup and the Confederation Cup in Brazil. I don’t any better contender for the award than Mikel”
Continuing he said “I think Mikel should get the nod ahead of Victor Moses and may be Yaya Toure should be the top three players that would be contending for the award next year’s January in Lagos”
“Yaya has not achieved much to displace Mikel and Moses for the best footballer in Africa award,in the past Nigerian players have lost it because of sentiments in the voting especially from Franco phone countries”
“But this time around I guess they don’t have much choice than to vote Mikel who I am sure would continue do his best at his club with the view to be a regular in the star studded Chelsea team” he stated
Keshi however regretted that injury to Super Eagles’ AFCON top scorer Emmanuel Emenike may have also ruled the Fernabache new striker out of contention for the CAF award.
The former captain of the Super Eagles also tipped Sunday Mbah to emerge as the home based CAF footballer of the year because of his sterling game at AFCON and the world cup qualifiers
However, Ben Iroha, is of the view that Ivorian Yaya Toure remains the only obstacle standing between Mikel Obi winning the African best footballer award for 2013
Iroha told Prompt News Online that though Mikel has done so much to win the award but he fears that Yaya is at advantage because he is a midfielder with a knack for scoring goals
A member of the all conquering Super Eagles 1994 class, Iroha, said the Franco phone conspiracy in voting may also play a part in denying Mikel the award adding that Yaya may win it back to back.
He said Mikel, ordinary should nick it with his double trophy winning performance with Nigeria and Chelsea FC, but still believes that his inability to score goals might sway the votes in Yaya’s favor
“The 2013 winner of the CAF award has to be a midfielder because no striker has been a stand out so far this year. Emenike should have been contending after his five star performance at AFCON won him the golden boot but injury has cut him short
“At AFCON Mikel who was very outstanding was denied the Golden Ball as the MVP of the championship for no good reason. That also increases my fear that the same people that voted against him might do same again” the former assistant coach of Dream Team quipped.
He also said Victor Moses did well to also be in the running for the award if he continues to do well for the rest of 2013, noting that the AFCON should give our players the advantage to win other awards.
