Missing ceremony cost Drogba award, says team

SEKONDI, Ghana (Reuters) - 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.

CAF chief communications director Suleiman Habuba was not immediately available for comment.

Drogba is playing in the African Nations Cup in Ghana with Ivory Coast who have reached the semi-finals.

The award went to Mali striker Frederic Kanoute.

"CAF has brought itself into disrepute," Djacus said. "They called Didier on the eve of the ceremony to tell him they would give the award to Kanoute if he did not come. Didier is now saying that he does not want to be part of the 2008 vote."

(Reporting by Julien Pretot, writing by Patrick Vignal, editing by Rex Gowar)