John Mensah named in 2012 AFCON XI; Katongo bags best player award

Black Stars captain John Mensah has been named in the 2012 African Nations Cup team of the tournament by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) technical committee.

Mensah scored twice in the tournament and despite injury problems, looked assured every time he was on the pitch for Ghana.


The Technical committee picked Zambia’s penalty hero Stophire Sunzu to partner Mensah in central defence, with Cote D’Ivoire’s Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso and Mali’s Adama Tamboura as right and left backs respectively.


Zambia’s Kennedy Mweene was voted as the tournament’s best goalkeeper and thus the goalkeeper in the tournament’s best XI.


The team’s central midfield comprises CIV midfielder and reigning African Footballer of the year Yaya Toure and Mali playmaker Seydou Keita, with CIV’s Gervinho and Zambia captain Christopher Katongo, voted the tournament’s best player, patrolling the flanks.


CIV captain Didier Drogba and Zambia hitman Emmanuel Mayuka, who was voted the tournament’s top scorer, comprise the front two.


Udinese midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah was named on the substitutes’ bench, as well as Zambia’s Rainford Kalaba, CIV’s Boubacar Barry, Tunisia’s Youssef Msakni, Mali’s Chiekh Diabate and Morocco captain Houssine Kharja.

The others are Pierre Aubameyang and Eric Mouloungui of Gabon, Angola’s Manucho, Equatorial Guinea’s Fernando Da Graca Gomez, Guinea’s Sadio Diallo and Sudan’s Mudathir El Taib Ibrahim.


2012 AFCON Team of the tournament(4-4-2): Kennedy Mweene (Zambia) – Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (CIV), John Mensah (Ghana), Stophire Sunzu (Zambia), Adama Tamboura (Mali) – Christopher Katongo (Zambia), Yaya Toure (CIV), Seydou Keita (Mali), Gervinho (CIV) – Emmanuel Mayuka (Zambia), Didier Drogba (CIV)


Substitutes


Boubacar Barry (CIV) Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana) Rainford Kalaba (Zambia) Youssef Msakni (Tunisia) Cheikh Diabate (Mali) Houssine Kharja (Morocco) Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) Eric Mouloungui (Gabon) Manucho (Angola) Fernando Da Graca Gomez (Equatorial Guinea) Sadio Diallo (Guinea) Mudathir El Taib Ibrahim (Sudan)


Best Player: Christopher Katongo (Zambia) Top Scorer: Emmanuel Mayuka (Zambia) Fair Player of the tournament: Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (CIV) Fair Play team of the tournament: Cote D’Ivoire