No Ghanaian in five-man shortlist for BBC award

There was no Ghanaian player in the five candidates for the 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

This is the first time in seven years that Ghana has no representative in the shortlist which is decided after a poll of football journalists from every country in Africa.

Michael Essien won it in 2006 before Asamoah Gyan was crowned in 2010. Gyan’s successor was Olympique Marseille ace Andre Ayew.

This year, Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure made the shortlist for the fifth consecutive year and is joined by Nigerians Victor Moses and John Mikel Obi, Burkina Faso’s Jonathan Pitroipa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon.

The winner will be decided by African football fans, who have until 18:00 GMT on 25 November to vote for their choice.

The winner will be announced on Monday, 2 December at 17:35 GMT on the BBC’s Focus on Africa radio and television programmes.

No player on this year’s shortlist, drawn up from votes by 44 journalists across Africa, has won the BBC award before and two – Pitroipa and Aubameyang – are the first nominees from their respective countries.