Football: Toure earns CAF award

JOHANNESBURG: Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure was named 2011 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Footballer of the Year in Ghana. Toure finished ahead of Ghana and Marseille midfielder Andre Ayew and Mali and Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita in a vote among Africa-based national coaches. He has been a key figure in the rise of Manchester City as English Premier League title-contenders. Toure was also a pivotal figure as Ivory Coast finished the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers as the only country with a perfect record having defeated Rwanda, Burundi and Benin home and away.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2011.