The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria says the non-inclusion of Nigeria’s players in the list of five shortlisted to vie for Glo-CAF 2016 African Player of the Year Award is in order.
SWAN made the assertion as more Nigerians reacted to the development in interviews the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday.
Speaking on behalf of the National President of SWAN, Mr Preye Jaja, a TV pundit for Rivers State Television, said the scorecards of Nigerian players in 2016 season did not merit a place in the top five.
“No Nigerian player is really worth the price, but in 2017, we should have Victor Moses or Kelechi Ihenacho in the top five.
“When we look at 2016 season and what Nigerian players have achieved, I’m not sure we should be there; we did not even qualify for the Nations Cup; so what justifies our inclusion.
“Qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations is a big factor and none of our players are outstanding. Voting should not be done with emotional attachment, it must be fair.”
Another TV pundit, Afolabi Oni, said there was nothing like gang-up against Nigerian players, adding that the voting pattern was clear enough to assess the players’ performances.
“I don’t think there is any big deal in the list, when we talk about the likes of Mikel Obi and Ahmed Musa, they did not enjoy the club playing time like those nominated.”
Also, for Rotimi Arabi, a sports journalist, the exclusion of Nigerian players is not surprising as it was expected judging from the players’ performances in the year under review.
SWAN made the assertion as more Nigerians reacted to the development in interviews the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday.
Speaking on behalf of the National President of SWAN, Mr Preye Jaja, a TV pundit for Rivers State Television, said the scorecards of Nigerian players in 2016 season did not merit a place in the top five.
“No Nigerian player is really worth the price, but in 2017, we should have Victor Moses or Kelechi Ihenacho in the top five.
“When we look at 2016 season and what Nigerian players have achieved, I’m not sure we should be there; we did not even qualify for the Nations Cup; so what justifies our inclusion.
“Qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations is a big factor and none of our players are outstanding. Voting should not be done with emotional attachment, it must be fair.”
Another TV pundit, Afolabi Oni, said there was nothing like gang-up against Nigerian players, adding that the voting pattern was clear enough to assess the players’ performances.
“I don’t think there is any big deal in the list, when we talk about the likes of Mikel Obi and Ahmed Musa, they did not enjoy the club playing time like those nominated.”
Also, for Rotimi Arabi, a sports journalist, the exclusion of Nigerian players is not surprising as it was expected judging from the players’ performances in the year under review.