Ghana vies for Glo-CAF Awards

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has declared International Conference Centre in Accra as the venue for the Glo-CAF Awards ceremony. It is also the second time the country is hosting the awards after hosing it March 2007

The award seeks to award excellence and distinguished African football personalities for their performance during the year under review.

Ghana is nominated in four of the six categories, namely the African Footballer of the Year 2009, National Team of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.

Black Stars midfield general and Chelsea star Michael Essien has been short listed in the final three alongside Chelsea and Cote d'Ivoire striker Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o Fils of Inter Milan and Cameroon for this year's African Footballer of the Year award.

Barcelona midfielders Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita didn't make the last three.

Ghana's U-20 coach Sellas Tetteh who masterminded the Ghanaian team for their first ever World Cup in the U-20 level vies for the Coach of the Year with stiffer competition from Diego Garzitto and John Obuh.

Diego Garzitto, the coach of T.P. Mazembe led the DR Congo champions to beat Heartland of Nigeria to clinch their third African champion's trophy for the team. John Obuh guided the Nigeria U-17 team also known as the Golden Eaglets to win silver medal in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Nigeria 2009 after losing 1-0 to Swiss.

Ghana's Dominic Adiyiah, the best player and highest goals score at the FIFA U-20 World Cup of has been nominated for the Young Player of the Year with Kermit Erasmus of Feyenoord and South Africa U-20 and Sani Emmanuel of Bodens BK and Nigeria U-17.

Ghana has also been nominated in the National Team of the Year 2009 with Algeria and Cote d'Ivoire.

The Best African player on the continent 2009 has Uche Agba (Heartland FC and Nigeria), Mputu Mabi (T.P. Mazembe and DR Congo) and Abdelmalek Ziaya (Entente Setif and Algeria).

Current African Champions league winners T.P. Mazembe (DR Congo), finalist Heartland FC (Nigeria) and Stade Malien (Mali) vies for the Club of the Year 2009.

The ceremony was earlier on scheduled for Dakar, Senegal but has been rescheduled and confirmed to take place in Accra on March 11, 2010.

The event is sponsored by Globacom, Africa's leading integrated telecom operator who has signed a five-year sponsorship contract with Manchester United, English Premier League Champions to unite the two brands in marketing campaigns and promotional activities in the Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic.

Below are the nominations:

African Footballer of the Year 2009
Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Cote d';Ivoire)
Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana)
Samuel Eto'o Fils (Inter Milan and Cameroon)

Best African player on the continent 2009
Uche Agba (Heartland FC and Nigeria)
Mputu Mabi (T.P. Mazembe and DR Congo)
Abdelmalek Ziaya (Entente Setif and Algeria)

National Team of the Year 2009
Algeria
Cote d'Ivoire
Ghana

Club of the Year 2009
Heartland FC (Nigeria)
Stade Malien (Mali)
T.P. Mazembe (DR Congo)

Young Player of the Year 2009
Dominic Adiyiah (AC Milan and Ghana U-20)
Kermit Erasmus (Feyenoord and South Africa U-20)
Sani Emmanuel (Bodens BK and Nigeria U-17)

Coach of the Year 2009
Diego Garzitto (T.P. Mazembe)
John Obuh (Nigeria U-17)
Sellas Tetteh (Ghana U-20)