Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor said that Liverpool duo Mane and Salah shouldn’t have won the Africa POTY award because it should be given to players based in the continent.
Salah and Mane have been on the podium for the Africa Player of the Year Award for the past three years, with the former winning the 2017 and 2018 editions while the Senegal international won the latest one.
However, former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor claimed that this award should only be given to players who are based in Africa. He also criticized Africa’s football governing body, CAF, due to their history with corruption.
“I distanced myself from African football because of corruption and way of doing things that side. I only honour my country Togo. And if they invited me to any event that has anything to do with CAF I won’t show up because of the leaders of the organisation,” he said
“How is Sadio Mane winning CAF Best Player Of The Year when he’s not African based, Lionel Messi has never won any continental individual trophy in his continent.
“In my whole footballing years, I’ve seen European players who were amazing and they played in America they never made the nominees. But in Africa, an African who is based in Europe and then he wins African awards. How is that?
“In Brazil, Neymar can’t win Brazilian player of the season but can win Brazilian player of the year, so when they include all the countries in that continent and make Neymar the best player what about the players who are based in that continent.
“CAF stands for Confederation Of African Football. How Salah and Sadio win it is way out of my worst imagination. That award belongs to African (based) players,” he concluded.
It is worth mentioning that Adebayor was actually named CAF’s African Player of the Year award in 2008 after a spectacular season with the Gunners. Beating Al Ahly legend Mohamed Aboutrika and then Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien to the award.
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