Nigeria’s mercurial midfielder Austin Okocha battles the ghost of 1998 once again as Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o heads the list of nominees for the Confederation of African Football's 2003 Player of the Year award.
In a 23-man list released by African football's governing authority last Wednesday, Diouf and his two runners-up from last year - Ahmed Mido Hossam of Egypt and Senegal's Pape Bouba Diop - failed to make the shortlist.
Okocha who saw his dream of picking the coveted award went up in flame as he narrowly lost to Morocco’s Mustapha Hajji in the run up to the awards despite a great showing at the world cup in France ‘98
The Nigerian who has often cursed his ill-luck once confessed that
“Sometimes you just wonder what extra thing to do to achieve your aim, but maybe there’s always a time set aside for you” he had said in 1998.
Eto’o on his part, has established himself as Mallorca's top striker and also had a brilliant Confederations Cup in France last summer, helping Cameroon to reach the final, thus setting up a stiff competition alongside the Nigerian.
Okocha on his path is banking on a brilliant run in the colours of premiership oufit, Bolton Wanderers. He single-handedly helped the modest and struggling side escape relegation last season, an achievement that earned him rave reviews in England and the continent.
The identity of the winner will be revealed at the Caf annual awards ceremony early next year. Interestingly, pundits’ back home in Nigeria is already tipping Inter Milan whiz kid, Obafemi Martins to emerge as the young player of the year, after a splendid performance for the Italian side.
The Shortlist is as follows:
Togo: Omar Tchomogo (Guingamp, France)
Burkina Faso: Moumouni Dagano (Guingamp, France)
Cameroon: Samuel Eto'o (Real Mallorca, Spain), Geremi Njitap (Chelsea, England)
Ivory Coast: Didier Drogba (Marseille, France), Aruna Dindane (Anderlecht, Belgium), Kolo Toure (Arsenal, England)
Egypt: Ahmed Hassan (Besiktas, Turkey)
Ghana: Samuel Osei Kuffour (Bayern Munich, Germany), Stephen Appiah (Juventus, Italy), Michael Essien (Lyon, France)
Guinea: Dianbobo Balde (Celtic, Scotland)
Libya: Tarek El Taeb (Sfax, Libya)
Mali: Mahamadou Diarra (Lyon, France)
Morocco: Naybet Noureddine ( Deportivo la Coruna, Spain), Jaoud Zairi (Sochaux, France)
Nigeria: Jay Jay Okocha (Bolton, England), Obafemi Martins (Inter Milan, Italy), Yakubu Ayegbeni (Portsmouth, England)
Sierra Leone: Stephan Pinnear (Ajax, Holland)
Tunisia: Hatem Trabelsi (Ajax, Holland)
Zimbabwe: Peter Ndlovu (Sheffield United, England)
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