How they voted

A DIVIDED Southern African bloc might have cost Khama Billiat in his bid to land the prestigious CAF Player of the Year based in Africa award.

Billiat was beaten to the top gong by 24 votes by Ugandan goalkeeper Dennis Oyango.

It has emerged from the voting pattern released by CAF yesterday that five COSAFA countries — Botswana, Swaziland, Angola, Seychelles and Reunion — did not take part in the voting process.

Lesotho, Madagascar and Mauritius gave the Zimbabwean very little support in terms of points.

Only three countries from this region — Zimbabwe, Malawi and Namibia — voted for Billiat as the top player.

South Africa voted for Onyango, which was a surprise given that Billiat scooped all the awards of excellence in that country.

The Zambians, as expected, voted for their own man, Rainford Kalaba.

Mozambique voted for Hlompo Kekana with Billiat in second place. Billiat was surprisingly endorsed fully by our AFCON rivals, Algeria, who voted for him in first place.

Liberia also fought in our corner while Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Rwanda and Uganda gave Billiat four points each as a runner-up.

A total of 42 member associations out of the 56 CAF members took part in the poll. East Africans were united in Onyango’s cause.

From the CAF media committee, which doesn’t have any one from this region, Billiat got 17 votes while Onyango had 25 votes.

The CAF Technical and Development Committee which has technical people from the continent and has one member from the southern region had 40 votes for Onyango while Billiat came very close with 36 votes.

Zambia legend Kalusha Bwalya, who sits in that committee, commendably gave five points to the Zimbabwean, four points to the Ugandan and three points to his skipper Kalaba.