African Footballer of the Year: Kuffour is #2

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Nigerian striker Nwankwo Kanu has won the African Footballer of the Year award, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Wednesday. It is the second time the 23-year-old Arsenal forward has won the award, following his triumph in 1996 when he captained Nigeria's under-23 team to the Olympic title in Atlanta. Kanu, who has made a remarkable recovery from a life-threatening heart ailment, has been a relevation in the English league since he joined Arsenal from Inter Milan in January. He previously played for Ajax Amsterdam.

He finished with 46 points, just two points more than Ghanaian defender Samuel Osei Kuffour of Bayern Munich in the poll of members of CAF's technical and press committees. Ivory Coast striker Ibrahima Bakayoko of French club Olympique Marseille was third with 42 points, two points ahead of former World Footballer of the Year George Weah of Liberia. Mustapha Hadji of Morocco, last year's African poll winner, finished joint eighth, one place below 1997 winner Victor Ikpeba of Nigeria.

Kanu's selection means Nigeria have won four African Footballer of the Year awards in the last six years since CAF took over the running of the award from the magazine France Football. Teenage striker Aruna Dindane of Ivorian club ASEC Abidjan was the highest-placed player with an African club. He finished sixth.

One controversial selection in the top 10 was that of Algerian-born Ali Benarbia of French club Paris St Germain. He has consistently refused to play for his country but was still voted equal eighth.


1. Nwankwo Kanu (Arsenal and Nigeria) 46 points
2. Samuel Osei Kuffour (Bayern Munich and Ghana) 44
3. Ibrahima Bakayoko (Marseille and Ivory Coast) 42
4. George Weah (AC Milan and Liberia) 40
5. Austin Okocha (Paris St Germain and Nigeria) 30
6. Aruna Dindane (ASEC Abidjan and Ivory Coast) 28
7. Victor Ikpeba (Borussia Dortmund and Nigeria) 26
8. Ali Benarbia (Paris St Germain and Algeria) 24 Mustapha Hadji (Coventry City and Morocco), 24
10. Khaled Badra (Esperance and Tunisia), 22