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Yaya Toure is mad about not being African Footballer of the Year
The Manchester City midfielder won the award the last four years, but Pierre-Emerick Aubemayeng won it for 2015.
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
The African Footballer of the Year for 2015 was announced on Friday, with no major surprise in the award going to highly successful Borussia Dortmund striker and Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. No major surprise to anyone but Yaya Touré that is -- the Manchester City midfielder had won the award four times in a row, and he is mad about that number not being five.
I’m very, very disappointed. It’s sad to see Africa react this way, that they don’t think African achievements are important.
I think this is what brings shame to Africa, because to act in that way is indecent. But what can we do about it? Us Africans, we don’t show that Africa is important in our eyes. We favour more what’s abroad than our own continent. That is pathetic.
As I’ve been told many times, you can’t take care of Africa too much because Africa will be the first to let you down.
-Source: Guardian
That reaction is certainly something. Toure's frustration seems to stem from not getting more recognition for leading the Ivory Coast national team to an Africa Cup of Nations championship last winter. While there's some validity to that, it should be pointed out that Toure lost by just seven voting points. Aubameyang also did well for a much smaller nation at AFCON, and his performance for his club side was notably better for much of 2015, with Toure hurt or struggling for much of the first half of the year before finally finding his form again when the new season began in August.
While you can certainly understand Toure’s anger to some degree, the fact still remains that he lost to a very good player, and he just won the award four years in a row. Give someone else a shot. You certainly don’t have to put an entire continent on extreme blast like that.
In the news
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has been suspended two Copa del Rey matches for taking part in a fight in the tunnel after a match against Espanyol on Wednesday. (BBC)
Louis Van Gaal says he’s “not worried” about the idea of Pep Guardiola coming to England next season, even though he’s been heavily linked with the Manchester United job Van Gaal currently holds. (Mirror)
There was a bit of a training ground clash between Chelsea players Diego Costa and Oscar, but interim manager Guss Hiddink says there’s nothing to worry about. (Guardian)
Liverpool’s injury crisis is so bad that they have no central defenders making the trip to Exeter City for their FA Cup clash. (BBC)
Sunderland have signed defender Jan Kirchoff from Bayern Munich. (Guardian)
All it took was one: Porto have sacked manager Julen Lopetegui despite losing just one match in the league this season. (ESPN FC)
Rudi Garcia may soon share Lopetegui’s fate, though he doesn’t seem concerned about it. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
You should be reading
Sid Lowe and Paul Doyle talked to experts who think that Zinedine Zidane will be just fine as Real Madrid’s manager. (Guardian)
Mike L. Goodman wonders whether Christian Benteke is good enough for Liverpool. (ESPN FC)
Fun with transfer rumors
The section in which nothing should be taken seriously. It’s rumor season, so this section will be expanded, and as the summer rolls on, it will probably be bigger than the actual news section.
Manchester United are considering a £40 million move for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku. (Mirror)
Zidane says that Cristiano Ronaldo is going nowhere. (BBC)
Aubameyang says he’s not joining Arsenal this winter. (ESPN FC)
Napoli may be about to land defender Nikola Maksimovic on loan with an option to buy him outright this summer. (Football Italia)
What to watch on Friday (click for listings, all times ET)
FA Cup: Exeter City vs. Liverpool (2:55 p.m.): Ah, the FA Cup. Such a wonderful little competition. Always good for a big shock or two -- like, say, the chance to see a League Two team try to beat a struggling Premier League giant. Just as an example. Could be fun!
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bastia (2:30 p.m.): PSG are running away at the top of the table, with a 19-point lead on second-place Monaco just 19 matches into the season. It’s not likely we’ll see that lead shrink this week either, as Bastia are just three points above the relegation zone and haven’t won a single match away from home in the league this season.
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