The 25-year old fended off competition from Liverpool teammate and Senegal international Sadio Mane who finished 2^nd and Gabon and Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who finished 3rd.

He succeeds Leicester and Algeria star Riyad Mahrez who won the award in 2016.

Salah has had a stellar 2017 in which he helped Egypt qualify for their first World Cup in 28 years, months after leading them to the Africa Cup of Nations final which they lost narrowly to Cameroon.

He has also scored 23 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions since joining Liverpool last summer.

The former Chelsea and Roma star completes a hattrick of awards after being named BBC African Footballer of Year and Arab Player of the Year 2017.

Other Awards:

Platinum Award

Nana Akufo-Addo (President, Republic of Ghana)

Platinum Award

George Weah (President-Elect, Liberia)

CAF Legends Award

Ibrahim Sunday (Ghana & Asante Kotoko)

Football Leader of the Year

Yahya Ahmed (Mauritania)

Club of the Year

Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)

Women’s National Team of the Year

Bayana Bayana (South Africa)

Coach of the Year

Hector Cuper (Egypt)

Youth Player of the Year

Patson Daka (Zambia)

Women’s Player of the Year

Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria)

The award was hosted by Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba and South African female sports broadcaster Carol Tsabalala and assisted by Hollywood couple Boris Kodjoe and wife Nicole Ari Parker.

–

By: sport.citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Mohammed Salah named African Player of the Year appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The two players featured for the Black Stars in the 2017 AFCON tournament in Gabon where Ghana finished 4th.

At club level, they helped their clubs across the 2016/ 2017 season.

Partey contributed 16 appearances to Atletico Madrid’s 3rd place finish at the end of last season in Spain and Atsu played 32 matches in Newcastle United’s Championship-season winning campaign that gave that gave a place in this season’s Premier League.

The shortlist also has the likes of Eric Bailly of Cote d’Ivoire and Manchester United, Mohammed Salah of Egypt and Liverpool, Vincent Aboubakar of Porto and Cameroon and 2017 AFCON Best Player, Christian Bassogog of Cameroon and Henan Jianye, and Sadio Mane of Senegal and Liverpool.

According to CAF, “the winner will be decided by votes from the Head Coaches/Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF, members of the CAF Technical and Development Committee and a panel of Media Experts.”

The awards event will be held in Accra on January 4, 2018.

Here is the full shortlist:

African Player of the Year

1. Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)

2. Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Lyon)

3. Cedric Bakambu (DR Congo & Villareal)

4. Christian Atsu (Ghana & Newcastle)

5. Christian Bassogog (Cameroon & Henan Jianye)

6. Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)

7. Eric Bailly (Cote d’Ivoire & Manchester United)

8. Essam El Hadary (Egypt & Al Taawoun)

9. Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon & Sevilla)

10. Fackson Kapumbu (Zambia & Zesco)

11. Jean Michel Seri (Cote d’Ivoire & Nice)

12. Junior Kabananga (DR Congo & Astana)

13. Karim El Ahmadi (Morocco & Feyenoord)

14. Keita Balde (Senegal & Monaco)

15. Khalid Boutaib (Morocco & Yeni Malatyaspor)

16. Mbwana Samata (Tanzania & Genk)

17. Michael Olunga (Kenya & Girona)

18. Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)

19. Moussa Marega (Mali & Porto)

20. Naby Keita (Guinea & RB Leipzig)

21. Percy Tau (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)

22. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund)

23. Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)

24. Thomas Partey (Ghana & Atletico Madrid)

25. Victor Moses (Nigeria & Chelsea)

26. Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon & Porto)

27. William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria & Bursaspor)

28. Yacine Brahimi (Algeria & Porto)

29. Youssef Msakni (Tunisia & Al Duhail)

30. Yves Bissouma (Mali & Lille)

Atsu and Partey are the only Ghanaians on the list.

CAF also released a 30-man shortlist for the Best African Player based in Africa.

African Player of the Year – Based in Africa

1. Achraf Bencharki (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)

2. Ahmed Fathi (Egypt & Al Ahly)

3. Alkhaly Bangoura (Guinea & Etoile du Sahel)

4. Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)

5. Aristide Bance (Burkina Faso & Al Masry)

6. Ayman Majid (Morocco & FUS Rabat)

7. Aymen Mathlouthi (Tunisia & Etoile du Sahel)

8. Ben Malango (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)

9. Dean Furman (South Africa & Supersport United)

10. Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)

11. Elsamani Saadeldin (Sudan & Al Merreikh)

12. Fackson Kapumbu (Zambia & Zesco)

13. Fawzi Chaouchi (Algeria & MC Alger)

14. Geoffrey Serunkuma (Uganda & KCCA)

15. Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand & Supersport)

16. Junior Ajayi (Nigeria & Al Ahly)

17. Karim Aouadhi (Tunisia & CS Sfaxien)

18. Mohamed Meftah (Algeria & USM Alger)

19. Mohamed Ounnajem (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)

20. Muaid Ellafi (Libya & Ahly Tripoli)

21. Nasr Eldin Ahmed (Sudan & Hilal Obeid)

22. Oussama Darfalou (Algeria & USM Alger)

23. Percy Tau (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)

24. Sabelo Ndzinisa (Swaziland & Mbabane Swallows)

25. Saber Khalifa (Tunisia & Club Africain)

26. Saladin Said (Ethiopia & Saint George)

27. Sylvain Gbohouo (Cote d’Ivoire & TP Mazembe)

28. Tady Etekiama (DR Congo & AS Vita)

29. Taha Yassine Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance)

30. Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek)

By: Citi Sports

The post Atsu, Partey in 2017 CAF Player Of The Year shortlist appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Black Stars player has enjoyed life in English football with a great debut season leading to a record move to West Ham.

Ayew has also been key for the Black Stars in their qualifiers leading to a place in the 2017 AFCON.

Last year, he came third in the voting for the CAF Player of the year award with Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang taking the award and Yaya Toure was second.

Aubameyang also makes his way into the shortlist together with Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Cote d’Ivoire’s Gervinho, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, and English Premier League winner, Riyad Mahrez of Algeria.

Nigeria’s John Mikel Obi and Yannick Bolasie of DR Congo also make the list and there is a place for Nigeria and Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho.

South African-based pair of Khama Biliat (Sundowns and Zimbabwe) and Dennis Onyango (Sundowns and Uganda).

African Player of the Year 1 shortlist:
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City)
2. El Arabi Hillel Soudani (Algeria & Dinamo Zagreb)
3. Islam Slimani (Algeria & Leicester City)
4. Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon & Antalyaspor)
5. Benjamin Mounkandjo (Cameroon & Lorient)
6. Serge Aurier (Cote d’Ivoire & PSG)
7. Eric Bailly (Cote d’Ivoire & Manchester City)
8. Yao Kouasi Gervais ‘Gervinho’ (Cote d’Ivoire & Hebei Fortune)
9. Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Roma)
10. Mohamed El Neny (Egypt & Arsenal)
11. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Dortmund)
12. Andre Ayew (Ghana & West Ham)
13. Victor Wanyama (Kenya & Tottenham)
14. William Jebor (Liberia & Wydad Athletic Club)
15. Mehdi Benatia (Morocco & Juventus) 16. Hakim Ziyech (Morocco & Ajax)
17. John Mikel Obi (Nigeria & Chelsea)
18. Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria & Manchester City)
19. Ahmed Musa (Nigeria & Leicester City)
20. Cedric Bakambu (DR Congo & Villareal)
21. Yannick Bolasie (DR Congo & Everton)
22. Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
23. Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
24. Keegan Dolly (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)
25. Itumeleng Khune (South Africa & Kaizer Chiefs)
26. Mbwana Samatta (Tanzania & Genk) 27. Aymen Abdennour Tunisia & Valencia)
28. Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia & Sunderland)
29. Dennis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
30. Khama Billiat (Zimbabwe & Mamelodi Sundowns)

By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Andre Ayew named in 30-man CAF Player of the Year shortlist appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Organised Labour, on July 24, embarked on a nationwide demonstration to protest what they call the poor economic conditions in the country.

Various groups and associations, including the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Association joined in the protest a week ago.

However, speaking to Citi news, Austin Gamey said that the protest could have been averted if the Tripartite Committee had focused on the job it was supposed to do.

“There was no tripartite meeting purposefully called to discuss economic issues of importance to all of us,” he said.

“The meetings that were called, discussed only the setting up of a national daily minimum wage… a microcosm of the things that are supposed to be discussed.”

He believes that the Committee “should stay focused, in future, on the mandate that has been given to all of them.”

Mr. Gamey however, admitted that some of the issues raised by the protesters were legitimate  and that the government is working to address them.

According to him, “a Tripartite Committee meeting is being convened to enable them talk about  economic issues.”

Mr. Gamey believes that “this is how the parties involved should have engaged [before the protest].”

“I think it’s a step in the right direction to address some of the concerns and with the involvement of all of them, that will be a solution, at least in part”

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Blame Tripartite Committee for labour demo – Gamey appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.