Drogba Unwilling to Sit Through Time-Share Presentation

Didier Drogba was the 2006 African Footballer of the Year and after a stellar campaign the past Premiership season with 33 total goals for Chelsea and the EPL Golden Boot, Drogba looked fit for a repeat performance. Yet, it appears the Confederation of African Football had different ideas.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba did not win the 2007 African Footballer of the Year award because he refused to attend Friday's ceremony in Lome, the team spokesman said on Monday.

Jean-Claude Djacus said the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had planned to give the award to the Chelsea forward but decided not to after he said he would not travel to the Togolese capital to collect it.

The CAF awarded Mali International and FC Sevilla striker Frédéric Kanouté with the award instead. Kanouté collected his award along with a free 3-day vacation to one of three wonderful locations--Johannesburg, Darfur, or Ouagadougou--with airfare and lodging included.

Drogba's refusal to attend is not without reason. His team, Côte d'Ivoire, is in the middle of the African Nations Cup in Ghana and had a quarterfinal match on Sunday against Guinea. Flying to another country (albeit a nearby country) two nights before a big game doesn't seem like the greatest idea. Who were the geniuses that thought that it would be a good idea to have the awards ceremony during the largest African tournament?

[Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images]