Drogba Tells Them To Shove It

[Fulham Broadway 16,980]

Irish Independent

Didier Drogba withdrew from all future African awards yesterday with a furious attack on the Confederation Africain de Football (CAF).

The Chelsea striker had been widely expected to be named as CAF's African Player of the Year Award, but when the winner was announced and the Ballon d'Or trophy presented in Lome, Togo, last Friday, it went to Frederic Kanoute.

Drogba insists that he had been informed he would not win the award only because of his refusal to leave his squad mid-tournament to make an eight-hour journey from the Ivory Coast's training base in Takoradi to Lome for the presentation ceremony.

He had considered going, but decided that his squad should not be without their captain after the death earlier in the week of Uli Stielike's son.

Stielike stood down from his position as Ivory Coast coach a fortnight before the tournament as he returned to Hanover to be with his ailing son.

"In the end I declined to go to the ceremony,'' Drogba said. "I did that for my team-mates and because within the group we had been through an unfortunate death. I was going to send my wife to the awards in case there was a prize to receive, when I was informed by somebody from CAF that she would not be welcomed, and that the rules could change if I wasn't there and the award be given to the person who had finished second. That shocked me.''

Given that Drogba's Chelsea team-mate Michael Essien was also named on the three-man shortlist and also refused to go to Lome, it could easily be that Kanoute finished only third.

Drogba celebrated his goal in Ivory Coast's 5-0 quarter-final victory over Guinea with particular ostentation, and then held his No 11 shirt in front of the TV cameras as he was substituted late on, making his point to CAF.

"From now on I've decided to withdraw from all voting for CAF awards,'' he went on. "It has lost a lot of value in my opinion.''

[EskWeston 696]

Too right, what a bloody Joke....

[captainmarvel 1]

well.. he should have won.. but its childish for him to say this.. its just an award after all.. his attitude bothers me

[EskWeston 696]

well.. he should have won.. but its childish for him to say this.. its just an award after all.. his attitude bothers me

Really?? A award ceremony right in the middle of the ACN! Then when he said he wouldn't go because he wanted to concentrate on the ACN they tell him that he will stripped of the winners award....

[KENT_BLUE 1]

thats ridiculous about if they cant make it they give it to 2nd place.....freddy kanoute hasnt got shit on didder!!!!

kent_blue

[Badboy 1,526]

If i was kanoute i would feel like shit.

[EskWeston 696]

If i was kanoute i would feel like shit.

Very true, winning it by default can't be very good..

[Elliott 7]

well.. he should have won.. but its childish for him to say this.. its just an award after all.. his attitude bothers me

HIS attitude bothers you?? How about the attitude of the award ceremony, too fucking arrogant to see how inconvenient it is to hold this half way through the African Nations?? It is absolutely ridiculous to disqualify someone because they cannot make it to the ceremony, you just set up a video conference, or you say he couldn't be with us tonight, but he's our winner. But, no, instead you win because you turned up, not because you were the best African player of the last year.

Drogba hasn't quit the award in future because it double crossed him, he's quit it because it no longer offers any value in his eyes after this debacle, and I agree with him.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

That is one very spoilt attitude - but Drogba is a great player and he does not need a statuette to tell him that.

[Steve 10,227]

as much as he shouldnt of opened his mouth like that he did deserve it but still he needs to focus more on the game and stop talking

[Byatt 0]

Drogba has the fact that the African Awards Panel chose him as the player of the year, he doesn't need the award and the official title to know he's the best in my opinion