Mr Garry Rathborne, Executive Producer of African Soccer show in South Africa and one of the organisers of MTN/CAF awards, has said Ghana's Samuel Osei Kuffour still stands a chance in being named the African footballer of the year despite a row with the GFA.

He said the award was meant for players who were outstanding in the year 2001 and added that since Kufour's alleged indiscipline was not within the year in questioned it could not affect him.

Kuffour, Deputy Skipper of the Black Stars, was axed from the youthful team in Mali after one match for an alleged misconduct. The Bayern Munich star is one of the three nominees for African's most prestigious award slated for South Africa on April 16.

Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o Fills and El Hadj Diouf of Senegal are the other contenders for the award. Mr Rothborne said Africans, as a way of giving out something, are now putting the award together which was previously organised by foreign agents. He said it is also in line with the development of the PAN African vision of football and to give inspiration to African footballers.

Many renowned sports journalists including Mark Gleeson of South Africa have tipped the Ghanaian defender to scale over his other two nominees because of his immaculate performance last year. He helped his German team to win the Bundesliga and the European Champions' League plus the Toyota Cup.