November 30 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the names of the nominees for its annual awards with 34 men and 15 women vying for the African Player of the Year and Women’s Player of the Year awards.
Of the men’s nominees, 19 play their club football outside of the African continent, eight of them (including Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and last year’s winner Mo Salah) in the English Premier League. Nine of the nominated women’s players ply their club trade outside of Africa.
Six players are nominated for the Youth Player of the Year award, with only one, Mahmoud Benhalib (Morocco & Raja Club Athletic), playing for an African club.
Senegal will host the Awards Gala on January 9 in Dakar. Before then votes will counted from three categories:
1.CAF Technical & Development Committee
2. Media Experts, Legends, Coaches of the quarter-finalists of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup
3. Coaches and Captains of the national teams of the 54 Member Associations.
Nominations List
African Player of the year
- Abdelmoumene Djabou (Algeria & ES Setif)
- Ahmed Gomaa (Egypt & El Masry)
- Ahmed Musa (Nigeria & Al-Nassr )
- Alex Iwobi (Nigeria & Arsenal)
- Andre Onana (Cameroon & Ajax)
- Anis Badri (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco & Hebei China Fortune)
- Ben Malango (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)
- Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Fanev Andriatsima (Madagascar & Clermont Foot)
- Franck Kom (Cameroon & Esperance)
- Jacinto Muondo Dala ‘Gelson’ (Angola & Primeiro de Agosto)
- Hakim Ziyech (Morocco & Ajax)
- Idrissa Gueye (Senegal & Everton)
- Ismail Haddad (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
- Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele (DR Congo & AS Vita)
- Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
- Mahmoud Benhalib (Morocco & Raja Club Athletic)
- Mehdi Benatia (Morocco & Juventus)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
- Moussa Marega (Mali & Porto)
- Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)
- Odion Ighalo (Nigeria & Changchun Yatai, Nigeria)
- Percy Tau (South Africa & Union Saint-Gilloise)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Arsenal)
- Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
- Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
- Taha Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Thomas Partey (Ghana & Atletico Madrid)
- Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia & Saint-Étienne)
- Walid Soliman (Egypt & Ahly)
- Wilfried Zaha (Cote d’Ivoire & Crystal Palace)
- Yacine Brahimi (Algeria & Porto)
- Youcef Belaili (Algeria & Esperance)
Women’s African player of the year
- Abdulai Mukarama (Ghana & Northern Ladies)
- Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Dilian Quanjian)
- Bassira Toure (Mali & AS Mande)
- Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Houston Dash)
- Desire Oparanozia (Nigeria & Guingamp)
- Elizabeth Addo (Ghana & Seattle Reign)
- Francisca Ordega (Nigeria & Washington Spirit)
- Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene (Cameroon & CSKA Moskow)
- Gaelle Enganamouit (Cameroon & Avaldenes)
- Janine Van Wyk (South Africa & Houston Dash)
- Marlyse Ngo Ndoumbouk (Cameroon & Nancy-Lorraine)
- Onome Ebi (Nigeria & Hekan Huisanhang)
- Portia Boakye (Ghana & Djurgardens)
- Raissa Feudjio (Cameroon & Aland United)
- Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi & Jiangsu Suning)
Youth player of the year
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)
- Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria & Leicester City)
- Andre Onana (Cameroon & Aax)
- Ismaila Sarr (Senegal & Rennes)
- Mahmoud Benhalib (Morocco & Raja Club Athletic)
- Franck Kessie (Cote d’Ivoire & AC Milan)
Men’s coach of the year
- Corentin Martins (Mauritania)
- Florent Ibenge (AS Vita & DR Congo)
- Juan Carlos Garrido (Raja Club Athletic)
- Moine Chaabani (Esperance)
- Nicolas Dupuis (Madagascar)
- Patrice Carteron (Al Ahly)
- Rachid Taoussi (ES Sétif)
- Herve Renard (Morocco)
- Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
- Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
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