Former Super Eagles captain, Mikel John Obi, has raised eyebrows by asserting that he was unfairly denied the prestigious CAF African Player of the Year Award in 2013.
Mikel made this controversial claim on his podcast, “Obi One.”
Despite his exceptional performances that year, including pivotal roles in Chelsea’s UEFA Europa League triumph and Nigeria’s surprising victory in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Mikel contends that he was overlooked in favour of Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure, who, according to him, had no silverware during the period under consideration.
The former Chelsea midfielder, who won a UEFA Champions League title in 2012, expressed his disappointment, stating, “In 2013, it was my trophy (CAF Award) to be won. I won the Africa Cup of Nations, I won the Champions League, the year before and the Europa League the year 2013, and Yaya only won … he didn’t win anything.”
The timing of Yaya Toure’s hat-trick of winning the award raises questions about the fairness and transparency of the CAF Player of the Year selection process, especially as it coincided with the CAF presidency of Issa Hayatou, a Cameroonian whom Mikel initially thought was a fellow Ivorian like Toure.
“I thought I was winning it because I had an amazing year, and the year before, I was winning with Chelsea, most of the games, I was a starter, and I also won the AFCON with Nigeria, you know how difficult that is… but I feel I got robbed that’s what I think, definitely, I got robbed,” Mikel disclosed
This allegation from Mikel raises concerns about the transparency and fairness of the CAF Player of the Year selection process.
