Back and Next - Back and NextOus Jallow nominated for top Asian award
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Gambia and Brondby IF striker Ousman Jallow has been named as one of the contenders to receive a top Asian award by a pan-Arab Abu Dhabi soccer weekly, 'Super', Observer Sports can reveal.
The Arabian soccer weekly is honouring top players in Asia, Africa and among Arabian nations and the award carries a purse of $100,000 in each category. Italian World Cup final referee Pierluigi Collina has been roped in as president of the board of trustees for the award sponsored by Sheikh Hazaa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi who is also the chairman of the city's sports council.
The 21 year-old former Wallidan and Alain FC hitman is among 23 candidates in fray for the top African player award. The list includes several stars playing in top clubs of Europe including Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Michael Essien, Mahamadou Diarra, Frederic Kanoute and Amir Zaki.
Surprisingly, no players from Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia or Algeria were nominated. The 43-strong Asian slate includes intriguing selections such as Ali Ishfaq from the Maldives, India's Baichung Bhutia and the Thai striker, Nantawat Thansopa. More renowned names include the South Korean and Manchester United winger Park Ji Sung, Japan playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, Saudi Arabia's Yasser Alqahtani and Iraq's Nashaat Akram.
The Arabian 26 includes footballers from 13 countries led by the likes of Mohamed Aboutrika, Amr Zaki, Yasser Al-Qahtani, Hussein Abdulghani and Marouane Chamakh. Ousman Jallow, a Golden Boot winner in the 2007 African Youth Championship finals in Congo Brazzaville, is the first Gambian to be nominated for such a high-profile award.
A former Gambia Under 17 skipper, Jallow started his professional career in 2006 when he moved to Alain from local side Wallidan. After a successful stint in the Asian league, which must have also triggered his nomination, Jallow moved to Denmark in the start of the 2008 season, signing a three-year deal with Brondby IF - the most successful team in Denmark today.
The Arabian soccer weekly is honouring top players in Asia, Africa and among Arabian nations and the award carries a purse of $100,000 in each category. Italian World Cup final referee Pierluigi Collina has been roped in as president of the board of trustees for the award sponsored by Sheikh Hazaa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi who is also the chairman of the city's sports council.
The 21 year-old former Wallidan and Alain FC hitman is among 23 candidates in fray for the top African player award. The list includes several stars playing in top clubs of Europe including Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Michael Essien, Mahamadou Diarra, Frederic Kanoute and Amir Zaki.
Surprisingly, no players from Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia or Algeria were nominated. The 43-strong Asian slate includes intriguing selections such as Ali Ishfaq from the Maldives, India's Baichung Bhutia and the Thai striker, Nantawat Thansopa. More renowned names include the South Korean and Manchester United winger Park Ji Sung, Japan playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, Saudi Arabia's Yasser Alqahtani and Iraq's Nashaat Akram.
The Arabian 26 includes footballers from 13 countries led by the likes of Mohamed Aboutrika, Amr Zaki, Yasser Al-Qahtani, Hussein Abdulghani and Marouane Chamakh. Ousman Jallow, a Golden Boot winner in the 2007 African Youth Championship finals in Congo Brazzaville, is the first Gambian to be nominated for such a high-profile award.
A former Gambia Under 17 skipper, Jallow started his professional career in 2006 when he moved to Alain from local side Wallidan. After a successful stint in the Asian league, which must have also triggered his nomination, Jallow moved to Denmark in the start of the 2008 season, signing a three-year deal with Brondby IF - the most successful team in Denmark today.
Author: By Nanama Keita
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