With barely three weeks to go to the annual CAF Awards the top three contenders for all award categories were revealed today.
The shortlist of top three nominees for each award category was reached following votes from a CAF Technical & Development Committee and a panel of media experts with emphasis on the nominees’ performance during the year under review, 2019.
It also included votes from a select panel of CAF Legends, made up of former winners of the prestigious African Player of the Year award. The legends took part in the voting process for the Player of the Year (Men & Women).
The final phase of voting for the men’s and women’s African Player of the Year, as well as the male and female Coach of the Year, will be selected by Head Coaches/Technical Directors and Captains of senior national teams from CAF Member Associations.
Meanwhile, the Interclubs Player of the Year will be decided upon by the Head Coaches and Captains of the group phase of the current season of CAF Interclubs competitions.
The award winners for each category will be announced during the CAF Awards ceremony on Tuesday, 7 January 2020, at the Albatros Citadel Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada, Egypt.
The event will celebrate African footballers and officials who have distinguished themselves during 2019. There will also be several new award categories in recognition of exceptional contributions to African football and inspiring individuals.
The top three (3) contenders for all the categories are as follows (in alphabetical order):
African Player of the Year
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
- Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
- Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
African Women’s Player of the Year
- Ajara Nchout (Cameroon & Valerenga)
- Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona)
- Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Beijing Phoenix FC)
African Interclubs Player of the Year
- Anice Badri (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek)
- Youcef Belaïli (Algeria & Esperance / Ahli Jeddah)
African Youth Player of the Year
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)
Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria & Villarreal)
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Lille)
African Men’s Coach of the Year
- Aliou Cisse (Senegal – Senegal)
- Djamel Belmadi (Algeria – Algeria)
- Moïne Chaâbani (Tunisia – Esperance)
African Women’s Coach of the Year
- Alain Djeumfa (Cameroon)
- Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
- Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)
African Men’s National Team of the Year
- Algeria
- Madagascar
- Senegal
African Women’s National Team of the Year
- Cameroon
- Nigeria
- South Africa