Nkwocha gets nod for African player of the Year

The Assistant Coach of the Super Falcons, Ann Chiejine, has tipped Perpetua Nkwocha to emerge as the Glo-CAF Women Player of the Year.

The ceremony comes up on Monday in Cairo, Egypt, and Nkwocha will be up against the duo of Stella Mbachu and Ebere Orji. Chiejine, however, feels Nkwocha stands a better chance of claiming the coveted crown ahead of her compatriots owing to her superb displays at this year’s African Women’s Championship in South Africa.

Although Mbachu carted home the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award, Nkwocha finished as the top scorer. And Chiejine, who was for well over a decade the Super Falcons’ number one goalkeeper, believes finishing as the championship’s top scorer gives Nkwocha an edge over Mbachu and Orji, who was one of the stars at this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany. “Nkwocha was the highest scorer at the tournament that gave Nigeria an unprecedented 6th Women Nations Cup title; and besides, she really played very well and motivated the team,” said Chiejine, who was voted best Women Football Player in 1998, a year she kept a clean slate at the tournament hosted by Nigeria.

Nigeria is best

Chiejine also expressed delight that the three shortlisted nominees are Nigerians. “It is proof that we are truly the best country in African women football,” she said. “It is confirmation that Nigeria is far ahead of the rest in women football.” She also predicted that Nigeria will clinch the award for the Best National Women Football Team category where they will be up against Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, the Falconets and former African champions, Equatorial Guinea, a side she dismissed as, “just listed to make up the numbers”. “We are far better than them,” she said. Nkwocha won the African award back in 2004 and 2005, while Cynthia Uwak was the last Nigerian to claim the award in 2007, a follow-up to her 2006 win. South Africa’s Alice Matlou won the 2008 edition while the award was not presented in 2009 as there was no continental competition.

Gyan confident

Meanwhile, Ghana International, Asamoah Gyan, is confident that his country will once again produce another African Player of the Year, 18 years after Abedi Pele Ayew’s feat. Gyan, who plays for English side Sunderland, said his nomination for the Glo-CAF African Footballer of the Year award will compensate Ghanaians who have agonized over the inability of Michael Essien to clinch the coveted title after five successive nominations between 2005 and 2009. “I am grateful to God for the nomination,” Gyan told BBC Radio. “I also believe I have done enough to win.”

The Ghanaian international, who joined Sunderland from Rennes of France, described his nomination as befitting reward for his contributions to country and club. “It shows that there is reward for consistency and dedication,” he said. “I was very outstanding at the Nations Cup in Angola, did well at the World Cup in South Africa and here at Sunderland, I could not have had a better start at a new club. All these have combined to put in me a strong position to win the African Player of the Year.”
Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Sport/index.csp