Yaya Toure wins Player of the Year as Ivorians rob limelight in CAF Awards

Ivory Coast emerged triumphant from the CAF Awards after dominating most of the prestigious honours that were given out yesterday. Two of the most notable names were Yaya Toure, who won the Player of the Year award while teenage prodigy Souylemane Coulibaly was voted the Most Promising Talent of the Year.

For Yaya Toure, it was a pleasant surprise after he overcame strong competition from Barcelona‘s Seydou Keita and Olympique Marseille’s Andre Ayew. His victory marked only the second time when an Ivorian has won the award since it’s inauguration in 1992, with Drogba previously winning it a few years back. Nevertheless, Toure was ecstatic to be heralded with such recognition.

“I am very happy to win the award. I feel proud of this special day. I thank my family; wife and kids for their support. I am also grateful to my brother (Kolo Toure), my teammates (club and national team) and the Ivorian Football Federation for their role in this feat,” Toure said.

While Toure and Coulibaly swept the most notable awards, Ivorian referee Noumandiez Duoe was also voted as the Best Referee of the Year, making it a glorious night for Ivory Coast as a whole. Oussama Darrag of Tunisia was named as the Best African based Player of the Year while Nigerian coach Harouna Doula won the Manager of the Year category.

Botswana were also rewarded for their effort in the qualifying stage of the African Cup of Nations with the National Team of the Year award. Last but not least, Esperance Sportive de Tunis, who were crowned as the CAF Champions League winners earlier this year, were also voted as the Club of the Year.