Today in History: CAF denied favourite Osei Kuffour of African Player of the Year

Osei Kuffour won the UEFA Champions League, the Bundesliga and the Inter-Continental Cup, which he even scored the match-winner in extra time with Bayern Munich, but he CAF overlooked him and named El Hadji Diouf as the finest player on the African continent.

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This was how the voting went: 

El Hadji Diouf:93

Samuel Osei Kuffour: 66 

Samuel Eto'o Fils: 34

Kwabena Yeboah who was at the gala said thievery at CAF and many Ghanaians felt the same. The Ghanaian delegation walked out of the gala to protest.

The Sowetan which was the 2001 CAF awards media sponsor said that Hayatou congratulated Kuffour when he was 3 dates to confirm 1 to ensure the ultimate winner of the gala won't miss the ceremony

This heightened the suspicion of Ghanaians that the Bayern Munich centre-back was given a raw deal by CAF.

It was also believed that Samuel Osei Kuffour got into the bad books of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) because he was sacked from the camp of the Black Stars during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) staged in Mali for insubordination and that affected his chances of winning the most prestigious individual football award on the continent.