Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o was given the award at the event in Cairo on Monday night for a record fourth time.
The winner of Monday’s award was decided by votes from national coaches of the continent’s 53 countries affiliated to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
But the decision has been met by fury in Gyan’s home country of Ghana with protests from fans on radio shows and media.
Gyan’s three goals propelled Ghana to the final of the African Cup of Nations in Angola in January and six months later led the Black Stars to the quarter finals of the World Cup.
Eto’o was an integral part of Inter’s success last term, scoring 16 goals during a highly successful campaign under then_coach Jose Mourinho. However, his exploits with the Indomitable Lions were limited as they were knocked out early in both the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup in South Africa.
Ghanaian fans and pundits are furious that Eto’o was given the award given that his performance was confined to only his club in Europe. A caller to a local radio said: “Eto’o should be vying for the European Player of the Year award not African award. What did he do for his country this year?”
Another caller said the decision will discourage players from playing or performing for their countries. “The message by CAF by giving the award to Eto’o is that you must not play for your country but must concentrate on your European clubs.
“African football won’t be interesting with such suspicious decisions by CAF.”
Last week, Gyan was crowned BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2010.
Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/
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