ASAMOAH Gyan, whose goals helped fire Ghana to the World Cup quarter-finals, has been named on a shortlist for the 2010 African Footballer of the Year Award.

The Sunderland striker is named on the shortlist alongside Chelsea’s Ivorian duo Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou.
Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o, who plays for Inter Milan, and Malian Seydou Keita, complete the five-man shortlist.
The list will be cut to three finalists by Caf on December 11.

The winner will be named in Cairo on December 20.
Coaches and captains of Africa’s 53 national teams vote for the award.

Amongst the other major awards to be handed out in Egypt will be Young Player of the Year, with Kwadwo Asamoah of Ghana, Algerian Ryad Boudebouz and Moussa Maazou of Niger all in contention.

Algeria, Egypt and Ghana are vying for National Team of the Year. The Coach of the Year award will be contested between Lamine N’Diaye, who led TP Mazembe to the African Champions League title, Milovan Rajevac, the man who masterminded Ghana’s World Cup campaign, and Egypt’s Hassan Shehata.

Alain Dioko of TP Mazembe, Mohamed Gedo and Ahmed Hassan both of Al-Ahly of Egypt are nominated for best African-based Player, while Tunisian side CS Sfaxien, FUS Rabat of Morocco and TP Mazembe of DR Congo will be aiming to win best club side of 2010.

Drogba narrowly beat Eto’o to the 2009 award but the Inter Milan forward is favourite to win this year’s accolade having won the UEFA Champions League and Serie A title, while also setting a new goal scoring record in captaining Cameroon at the African Nations Cup finals in Angola.

Ghana’s Gyan could command a strong sympathy vote after his dramatic hero and villain role at the World Cup.
He was also the catalyst behind Ghana’s unexpected progress to the Nations Cup final in January.

Agencies