Why Ghana has been failing at CAF Awards - Ibrahim Sunday explains

1971 African Footballer of the Year, Ibrahim Sunday has been shedding light on why Ghanaian players have in recent times failed to win the CAF Africa Player of the Year Award.

Sunday became the first Ghanaian to win the award a year after he captained Asante Kotoko to win the 1970 Africa Cup of Champions (CAF Champions League).

Subsequently the likes of Karim Abdul Razak (1978) and Abedi Pele (1991, 1992, and 1993) have added to the list of Ghanaian players to clinch the topmost individual award on the continent.

After Abedi Pele, no Ghanaian player has been crowned Africa’s best player with the likes of Samuel Kuffour, Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyana and Andre Ayew all coming close but failing to win it.

Ibrahim Sunday who finds this strange, has opined that it is more difficult to win the award now as compared to during his days. He also shared reasons behind the failure of Ghanaian footballers to emerge top in the race for Africa’s best player.

“It’s strange”, Sunday told FootballmadeinGhana.

“One thing we have to know is that today the selection is different from the past and we have more French speaking countries in Africa than English speaking countries.

“So if it will come to a vote, the French speaking people will vote for their player, unless an English speaking African country has a player who is a genius, he suggested.

“Now it’s more difficult than before, when France Football was doing, it was a bit fine because they are going in for exactly what they’ve seen, but now it’s more about votes and opinions”, he concluded.

Ibrahim Sunday was speaking to Football Made in Ghana’s Tales from the Past Podcast.