Aubameyang halts Yaya’s dominance, wins CAF Best Player Award

In from Nifemi Daniel . . .
Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke Ivorian Yaya Toure’s dominance by winning the 2015 CAF African Player of the Year at the 2015 Glo-CAF Awards Gala on Thursday in Abuja.

He becomes the first Gabonese to win the prestigious award and ended the four-year reign of Toure, which lasted 2011 to 2014.

The Borussia Dortmund striker polled 143 points, seven more than Toure whilst Ayew finished a distant third with 112 points.

Mbwana Aly Samatta beat fellow TP Mazembe teammate and goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba to emerge African Player based in Africa.

Tanzania striker Samatta scored seven goals as Mazembe clinched a fifth CAF Champions League.

Baghdad Bounedjah of Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel, 2015 CAF Confederation Cup, placed third.

Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire have been named Women’s National Team of the Year and Men’s National Team of the Year 2015.

Cameroon headlined their category that included Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, following an impressive outing on their maiden appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada last June.

In the Men’s category, African champions Cote d’Ivoire beat Ghana, Mali U-17, Nigeria U-17 and Nigeria U-23 to the prize.

Similarly, Frenchman Herve Renard has been named Coach of the Year for the second time.

Read also: Eagles not ready yet for CHAN, says Oliseh

The 47-year old who guided Cote d’Ivoire to the title at the 2015 Orange Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea was adjudged the best in his category amongst shortlists such as Baye Ba (Mali U-17), Patrice Carteron (TP Mazembe), Faouzi Benzarti (Etoile du Sahel) and Emmanuel Amunike (Nigeria U-17).

Renard, who received the prize for the first time after guiding Zambia to a similar feat in 2012, was presented with his award by CAF Executive Committee member, Adoum Djibrine.
Also, Gambian Papa Bakary Gassama has been crowned Referee of the Year for the second time on the trot.

The 36-year old soared to the top prize at the expense of Egyptian Ghead Zaglol Grisha, Janny Sikazwe of Zambia and Gabonese Eric Arnaud Otogo Castane.
Algerian Haimoudi Djamel also won the prize twice in a row, 2012 and 2013.

During the year under review, Gassama handled and discharged his duties professionally in some high profile games including the final of the Orange AFCON 2015 in Equatorial Guinea and the CAF Champions League final.

In a related development, TP Mazembe of DR Congo are the 2015 CAF Club of the Year after they won the Champions League for a fifth time.
Their other continental victories were in 1967, 1968, 2009 and 2010.

They pipped other nominees USM Alger, 2015 CAF Confederation Cup winners Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia and Orlando Pirates from South Africa.

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