The third edition of the Ghana Football Awards was formally launched on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at the studios of Joy Prime in Accra.
The ceremony was also used to unveil nominees for the various categories.
Asante Kotoko duo of Fabio Gama and defender Abdul Ganiyu has been shortlisted for the ‘Home-based footballer of the year’ award.
Gama prior to his debut for the Porcupines was questioned of his abilities by Pundits and fanatics while others deemed him unfit for the physique nature of the Ghanaian game.
Rival fans labelled the playmaker as a ‘carpenter’ and the 28-year-old seems to be fixing things up for the Reds. Gama has set up 6 goals, scoring 3 with 3 MVP awards in 23 appearances so far in Premier League.
Ganiyu, on the other hand, has featured 25 times for the Porcupines this season, netting four times. Ganiyu, who is credited for the club’s extraordinary performance at defence earned a place in the Black Stars team for the AFCON qualifiers against South Africa and Sao Tome and featured in the country’s recent friendly game with Ivory Coast in Cape Coast
The duo will be competing with WAFA’s Augustine Boakye who has been phenomenal for the Sokakope-based club this season, pulling some incredible numbers thus far.
Boakye has netted 7 goals and registered 11 assists with 6 man-of-the-match awards.
While Hearts of Oak’s creative spark, Ibrahim Salifu who has scored 3 goals, 7 assists and has tremendously won 8 MoTM is in the category for the award.
Another nominee is Great Olympics’ young sensation, Samuel Abbey-Quaye who has netted five times as a defender for the Wonder Club. He played a major part in the Black Satellites’ AFCON U-20 triumph in Mauritania fortnights ago.
Karela United top scorer and the leading scorer in the Ghana premier league Diawisie Taylor has also been shortlisted for the top award for his insane performances and goal-scoring prowess. Taylor has netted 16 goals for far in the Premier League and is in a pole position to clinch the golden boot award.
Last on the card is Great Olympics’ captain Gladson Awako who has impressive numbers of 5 assists, 6 goals and 5 MVP awards.
You can define ‘Footballer of the Year’ however you want. It might be your most important star. It could be the player who has moved you from your seat the most. Perhaps it is the one you simply cannot wait to see when you make the trip to any stadia to watch football in the Ghana Premier League. Or maybe it is a man who goes above and beyond, not only on the pitch, but off it.
