Former Super Eagles left-back Ifeanyi Udeze has described Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure as “selfish”, after the Manchester City star insisted that he and not Gabonese Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, should have been named the CAF African Player of the Year for 2015.
The award was decided by votes of coaches and technical directors from countries under the Confederation of African Football, With Aubameyand winning ahead of second-placed Toure and Ghana’s Andre Ayew, who was third.
Aubameyang, Gabon’s captain had a fantastic outing in 2015, scoring 29 goals. He has already scored 18 goals in 17 games for Dortmund to emerge leading scorer in the Bundesliga this season.
But four-time winner Toure said CAF, Africa’s football governing body, was “indecent” and “pathetic” after failing to win the award for a fifth successive time at an elaborate ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Manchester City midfielder said the decision “brings shame” to the continent, arguing that he deserved the accolade after captaining his country to the Africa Cup of Nations title for the first time in 23 years last January.
Toure congratulated Aubameyang but argued that those voting had placed a higher value on football achievements outside Africa.
But Udeze said Aubameyang deserved the award, adding that Toure’s comments smacked of selfishness.
Aubameyang has done very well in the last two seasons for Dortmund, the records are there for everybody to see and I think picking him as Africa’s best is a right choice,” the 2002 World Cup star said.
“Yaya’s comments show he is selfish. He has won the award in the last four years before he was dethroned. He must understand that no man can be a champion forever. He is angry for not winning, which is understandable for someone who wants to win always but he needs to control his anger.”
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