Kuffour prays for Dede CAF best player success

Sammy Kuffour, a former BBC African footballer of the year is hoping the

latest recipient of the award, Andre Dede Ayew, can defy the odds to also

win the version of the award given out by the Confederation of African

Football (CAF). Dede was named the BBC African footballer of the year last

week and is also among the five shortlisted candidates for the CAF-GLO

award which will be given out at a lavish ceremony in Accra this Thursday.

Kuffour who lost out, albeit controversially, to Senegal's El Hadji Diouf

in the CAF voting in 2001 when he won the BBC award, is adamant it will be

very hard for the Dede to emerge as the 2011 CAF African best player.

Kuffour insists the field of competition this year where Dede is gunning

for the award against Ivorian Yaya Toure, Cameroonian record winner Samuel

Eto'O, Malian Seydou Keita and Senegalese Moussa Sow, is a really tough one.

The history of the awards is also against the Ghanaian because no winner of

the BBC award in the past decade, has claimed the CAF diadem in the same

year. But Kuffour is still keeping his fingers crossed that Dede will make

history on Thursday night.

The former Bayern Munich super defender told Pravda 93.5 FM in Accra: "It's

going to be very difficult because Yaya Toure and Dede have both had great

years and there is Samuel Eto'O too. It will really be difficult but I hope

for all the best for Dede."