Will it be Asamoah’s night of honour at SWAG Awards?

Three of Ghana’s most outstanding footballers — Kwadwo Asamoah of Juventus, Andre Dede Ayew of Olympique Marseille and former Berekum Chelsea striker Emmanuel Clottey — will go head to head tomorrow evening for the prestigious honour of SWAG Footballer of the Year at the 38th MTN SWAG Awards at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra.

The trio have been nominated for the top award in recognition of their outstanding performance for their clubs and the national team, with the Juventus midfielder looking favourite to win the award ahead of his contemporaries.

Another award which will attract massive attention is the Premiership Player of the Year honour being hotly pursued by Accra Hearts of Oak’s Mahatma Otoo, Michael Akuffo of Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Amidaus Professionals’s Yahaya Mohammed.

MTN, headline sponsors of the prestigious event, gave the awards a shot in the arm yesterday with the presentation of a GH¢45,000 cheque to ensure the successful organisation of Ghana’s longest running awards ceremony of any kind.

The biggest surprise element on the night — to be graced by the Sports Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, MTN CEO Michael Ikpoki, and Dr Toni Aubynn, CEO of Ghana Chamber of Mines — will be the unveiling of the flagship award, Sports Personality of the Year.

For steering the Black Maidens to win bronze at the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan last year, Mas-Ud Didi Dramani will be picking the Coach of the Year award, just as the Maidens receive the Team of the Year prize, while Janet Amponsah and John Ampomah receive the Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year prizes respectively.

Priscilla Okyere is the nominee for the Female Player of the Year award, Elikem Akaba and Juanita Korwu in line to receive Hockey Player of the Year awards in the male and female categories respectively, and young Moses Odjier of Tema Youth as Promising Star of the Year.

Berekum Chelsea’s exploits in last year’s CAF Champions League will earn them the Club of the Year honours, with Abeiku Johnson, a member of the Tesano Dolphins Swimming Club, being pencilled in for the Discovery of the Year award after winning six out of seven gold medals won by the club at the Internationales Schwimfest at Arnsberg in Germany, last year.

Derek Abrefa and Cynthia Kwabi have been nominated as Table Tennis Player of the Year awards in male and female categories respectively, while Emos Korblah and Beatrice Vetch-Bempong will receive the Male and Female Golfer of the Year awards respectively. Olympian Alberta Ampomah will receive the Weightlifter of the Year prize.

On the night, Berekum Chelsea President, Emmanuel Kyeremeh; Allem Mumuni and Tesano Dolphins Swimming Club will be honoured with Special Awards, while former President John Evans Atta Mills and former Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama will be given posthumous awards.

Avid golfer and MTN boss Mike Ikpoki and the CEO of UT Bank, Kofi Amoabeng will both receive Special Awards for their contribution to the development and promotion of golf in Ghana.

Preview: Samuel Ebo Kwaitoo