Abuja to host Africa's football awards ceremony
Xinhua, January 8, 2016 Adjust font size:
The Glo-CAF awards, Africa's foremost football awards ceremony annually organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is set to take place Thursday night in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
The ceremony is one of the most anticipated footballing events in Africa, in which illustrious sons and daughters of the continent, who have excelled in soccer or administering football the previous year, are given recognition. This year's edition is the 44th award ceremony since its commencement by CAF.
The International Conference Center, venue of the ceremony in Abuja, was a beehive of activities from Thursday morning as organizers worked hard to ensure a hitch-free ceremony. The event is to start at 6 p.m. local time on Thursday.
Top football functionaries and government officials from different parts of the world have already arrived in Abuja. A football official told Xinhua the ceremony will be attended by Issa Hayatou, acting president of world football governing body, FIFA, who doubles as president of CAF.
Eleven categories of football players, football administrators and national football teams will be awarded at the event, although the major highlight of the evening will be the crowning of the African Footballer of the Year - a category in which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Borrussia Dortmund of Germany; four-time African Player of the Year, Yaya Toure of Cote d'Ivoire and Manchester City, and Andrew Ayew of Ghana and Swansea City FC, have been nominated. Endi