Okocha Blames Football Politics for Never Winning African Player of the Year

Posted : 18 August 2026

Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has claimed that football politics played a role in his failure to win the African Player of the Year award during his illustrious career.

Okocha made the comments while speaking on the ObiOne podcast. The former Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers midfielder was asked whether not playing for one of Europe's biggest clubs affected his chances of winning the prestigious individual honour.

The Nigerian legend dismissed the suggestion that his club career was the main reason he never received the award. Okocha instead pointed to the influence of football politics during the period in which he was competing for the prize.

“No, no, no, not really. Not really,” Okocha said when asked about the impact of playing for a major European club.

“I mean, I can openly say now that then, of course, a lot of football politics was in place,” he added.

Okocha went on to suggest that some players benefited from playing for major clubs and winning trophies, although he did not identify specific individuals or provide further details about the voting process.

The former Nigeria international enjoyed a highly successful career in Europe. He represented clubs including Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, Paris Saint-Germain, Bolton Wanderers and Qatar SC.

Okocha was also a key figure for Nigeria's golden generation. He helped the Super Eagles win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and played an important role in the team's run to the 1996 Olympic football gold medal.

Despite never winning the African Player of the Year award, Okocha earned widespread recognition for his technical ability, creativity and entertaining style of play. He won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award in 2003 and 2004.

The former midfielder was also named African Player of the Year runner-up on several occasions. His performances for club and country made him one of the most celebrated Nigerian footballers of his generation.

Okocha's latest comments have reopened discussion about the voting and selection process for Africa's top individual football award during his playing era. His career remains highly regarded across the continent despite the absence of the CAF award from his list of major individual honours.

Okocha Blames Football Politics for Never Winning African Player of the Year

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