Gyan, Ayew and Afful for SWAG Awards 2015

Gyan, Andre Ayew and Afful have been duly recognised with a nomination for the annual award

Asamoah Gyan, Andre Ayew and Harrison Afful are set to go neck for neck for the 2015 Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Awards.

The three players have been nominated for the Footballer of the Year category to be unveiled in a ceremony slated for Sunday, October 3 at the State Banquet Hall in Accra.

The 40th edition of the awards is set to reward distinguished sports men and women who excelled in the year under review, in SWAG’s efforts of promoting excellence in various sporting disciplines.

Shanghai SIPG striker Gyan is favourite to claim the award after hitting 13 goals in 17 games with his former United Arab Emirates side Al Ain, who won the 2014-15 league title. He was also adjudged the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champion League top scorer for 2014 as well as the AFC Foreign Player of the Year.

Scorer of two goals at the 2014 World Cup, Gyan became the toast of fans in January following a last-gasp winner against Algeria to resuscitate Ghana’s hopes at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, after earlier falling to Senegal in their opener. He currently has four league goals for his Chinese outfit after joining the side in July.

Close contender Ayew’s impressive showing for Olympic Marseille last season saw him win the Marc-Vivien Foe award for the Best African Player in the French topflight after ending the season on 10 league goals.

Now with English side Swansea, Ayew is currently joint fourth top scorer in the premiership with two goals in three matches, while his goal that propelled Ghana to the quarter-finals of the 2015 Afcon remains one of his greatest contribution to the Black Stars. He also scored twice at the 2014 World Cup.

Columbus Crew defender Harrison Afful, also a Ghana squad member at the 2014 World Cup as well as at the 2015 Afcon, has been a constant performing member of the Black Stars while his exploits with former side Esperance in the Caf Champions League cannot go unmentioned.

In the women’s category, Black Queens’ Jennifer Cudjoe is the sole candidate for the Female Footballer of the Year award, while Abeiku Ainooson, Kwabena Edusei and Augustine Okrah are set to compete for the Ghana Premier League Player of the Year title.

Joseph Odartei Lamptey is set to be named Referee of the Year while former national goalkeeper Ali Jara would receive an award for Dedication and Valour.

Ex-Ghana defender and founder of the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana, Anthony Baffoe, would also be handed a special award for his contribution to the development of football, especially at the 2014 World Cup.