CAF reveal awards shortlists

CAF, Africa’s football governing body, has released the list of final nominees for the various awards to be presented during the 2014 Glo-CAF Awards Gala in Lagos, on January 8th.

Egyptians Mohamed El-Nenny and Amr Gamal were a part of the original list of nominees for African Footballer of the Year and African Player of the Year (based in Africa) respectively, but the duo were unsurprisingly cut from the final shortlists.

The prominent list is the African Footballer of the Year award, with five players battling it out for the top honor.

The five-man shortlist includes Nigerian duo Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow) and Vincent Enyeama (LOSC Lille), Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain), Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) and Ivorian Yaya Toure (Manchester City), who took home the trophy in 2013.

Four of those were involved in the World Cup but the contention is expected to be between Yaya Toure, for his stellar year with Manchester City, and Asamoah Gyan, who became Africa’s all-time World Cup top goal-scorer in the summer.

The shortlists other award categories are as follows:

African Player of the Year (based in Africa):

Akram Djahnit & El Hedi Belameiri (ES Setif & Algeria), Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (CS Sfaxien & Tunisia), Firmin Mubele (Vita Club & DRC), Senzo Meyiwa (Orlando Pirates & South Africa).

African Woman Player of the Year:

Annette Ngo Ndom (Cameroon), Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria), Desire Oparanozie (Nigeria), Portie Modise (South Africa), Zenatha Coleman (Namibia).

Africa Youth Player of the Year:

Asisat Oshoala & Uchechi Sunday (Nigeria), Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon), Kader Bidimbou (Congo Brazaville).

Most Promising Talent:

Clinton N’jie (Olympique Lyon & Cameroon), Firmin Mubele (Vita Club & DRC), Vincent Aboubakar (FC Porto & Cameroon), Yacine Brahimi (FC Porto & Algeria).

Coach of the Year:

Florent Mbenge (DRC), Kherireddine Madoui (Algeria), Rigo Gervais (Ivory Coast), Stephen Keshi (Nigeria), Vahid Halilhodzic (Bosnia Herzegovina).

National Team of the Year:

Nigeria, Algeria, Libya.

Women’s National Team of the Year:

Nigeria U-20, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast.

Club of the Year:

Es Setif (Algeria), Vita Club (DRC), Al Ahly (Egypt), Sewe Sports (Ivory Coast).

Other awards to be presented are; CAF Fair Play Award, African Legend award, Referee of the Year, Platinum Award, Football Manager of the Year, Africa’s Finest Eleven, Goal of the Year and Save of the Year.

The winners will be decided by votes from the head coaches and technical directors of the national associations affiliated to CAF.