Osimhen, Oshoala in final shortlists for CAF awards

• Nnadozie, Abiodun, Falcons also listed for honours
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala have been included in the final shortlists for the CAF Footballer of the Year Awards, which ceremony will hold in Marrakech, Morocco on December 11.
Osimhen will contend with Egypt’s Mohammed Salah and Ashraf Hakimi of Morocco for the men’s title, while Oshoala has South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana and Barbara Banda of Zambia as opponents in the women’s category.
Africa’s football governing body, CAF, released the final three candidates in all the categories yesterday, with Super Falcons’ Chiamaka Nnadozie listed in the Goalkeeper of the Year category. She will contend with Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi and Andile Dlamini of South Africa for the crown.
No Nigerian coach was deemed good enough for the men and women’s Coach of the Year Award, but Super Falcons’ Deborah Abiodun is one of the contenders for the Young Player of the Year (women) award, where she has Ghana’s Comfort Yeboah and Nesryne El Chad of Morocco as opponents.
The Super Falcons are listed in the Women National Team of the Year category alongside Morocco and South Africa.
Other categories of the awards are the Interclub Player of the Year (Men), which has Fiston Mayele of Pyramids of Egypt and DR Congo, Peter Shalulile of Mamelodi Sundowns and Namibia and Percy Tau of South Africa, who plays for Al Ahly of Egypt.
Nominated for the Interclub Player of the Year (Women) award are Refilwe Tholakele of Botswana and Mamelodi Sundowns, Fatima Tagnaout of AS FAR and Morocco, as well as Lebohang Ramalepe of Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa.
To compete in the Coach of the Year award (men) are Algeria’s Abdelhak Benchika, who coaches Simba SC, Atlas Lions of Morocco’s Walid Regragui and Aliou Cisse of Teranga Lions of Senegal.
In line for the Coach of the Year (women) award are Reynald Pedros of Morocco, Desiree Ellis of South Africa and Jerry Tshabalala of Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, while Andre Onana of Cameroun and Manchester United, Mohamed El Shenawy of Al Ahly of Egypt and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, who plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal are the candidates for the Goalkeeper of the Year (men).
The candidates for the Young Player of the Year (Men) are Abdessamad Ezzalzouli of Morocco and Real Betis of Spain, Lamine Camara of Senegal and France’s Metz and Amara Diouf, also of Senegal and Metz.
The National Team of the Year (Men) candidates are Gambia, Morocco and Senegal, just as the Club of the Year (Men) category has Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) as candidates, with AS FAR (Morocco), Sporting Casablanca (Morocco) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) the candidates in the women category.
CAF explained that the ultimate winner of each category is decided through votes from a panel consisting of its technical committee, media professionals from member associations, head coaches and captains of member associations and clubs involved in the group stages of the interclub competitions.
According to CAF, the Awards gala will hold on December 11, 2023, at the Palais des Congrès, Movenpick, Marrakech, Morocco.