The Rationale Behind Mikel Losing 2013 African Player Of The Year

Afimag.com –

Recently, it has been on the lips of the supporters of former Super Eagles midfielder, Mikel Obi that he was restricted from grabbing the 2013 Africa Footballer of the year after his victory in some outings.

Mikel Obi sparked the reactions after he told Journalists in Dubai that he was allegedly denied of the opportunity awarded to former Ivory Coat International Yaya Toure in 2013.

The former Chelsea star was part of the Nigeria team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa aftermath the team defeated Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final.

Mikel, who lost out to Manchester City legend, Yaya Toure for the prestigious award, had thought that the collective success was to the key.

Responding to the development, Mikel stated that he was robbed of the award, noting that his brilliant outing in 2013 was enough to earn him the mantle.

He said, “I got robbed of the African Footballer of The Year Award. Before I went, I was told I won it. I was at the airport flying to Nigeria because the ceremony was in Nigeria, and Man City was playing, and Yaya Toure scored two goals.

“I won the Nations cup (AFCON), I won the Europa League and a year before that, I won the Champions League. There is no way I wouldn’t have won it. I knew I had won it. It doesn’t matter how many goals he scored. I was in my prime, playing a lot of games.

“You could have seen the ceremony. Before it was even announced, everybody left the stage, people left.’’