CAF Awards 2019 Nominees: All Categories and commentary on key nominees.

CAF Releases Nominees for 2019 Awards Categories 

Earlier this week, Confederation of African Football (CAF) 2019 awards nominees were released. This will be the 28th edition of the annual football awards and the winner of each category will be announced on Tuesday, 7 January 2020, at Citadel Azure, Hurghada, Egypt.

A panel of Media and technical professionals were responsible for the selection of the nominees. These lists contain illustrious countries, coaches and players in men’s and women’s football in 2019. These CAF awards categories are African footballer of the year, Women’s player of the year, Youth Player of the Year, National team of the year, Goal of the year, Africa finest eleven, Federation of the year and some newly introduced categories. African based footballer of 2019 will also be rewarded with the reintroduced African Interclubs player of the year award.   

The winners of African footballer of the year and Women’s player of the year will be determined exclusively by CAF technical and development committee, media experts, legends, coaches of the quarter-finalists of the CAF champions league and CAF confederation cup, coaches plus captains of the national teams of the 54 member associations. 

As usual, coaches and captains of the national teams of the 54 member associations won’t be part of those to decide winners of other categories. 

Last two years’ editions winner, Mo Salah, and his fellow Liverpool teammates (Sadio Mane and Naby Keita) made the 30-man list for the African footballer of the year award. Salah and Mane were phenomena for the Reds last season, both players were joint premier league top scorers with Arsenal’s Aubameyang (another nominee and 2016 winner) and were also crucial for Liverpool winning the Uefa Champions League last season. 

Riyad Mahrez and other three Algerian internationals are among this list too. The Manchester City forward (Mahrez) was important for the Algerian national team in this year’s Total Afcon tournament as they went home with the trophy. 

70% of the players shortlisted for the Women’s player of the year award represented their respective countries at 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup in France. Three times winner (Asisat Oshoala) and last year’s winner (Thembi Kgatlana) made the list. 

Madagascar on their Total Africa Cup of Nations debut got past the group stage, reached the quarter-final after an impressive first attempt. This achievement earned them a place on the list for Men’s national team of the year award.    

The Awards Categories in details: 

African Player of the Year

·      Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)

·      André Onana (Cameroon & Ajax)

·      Baghdad Bounedjah (Algeria& Al-Sadd)

·      Carolus Andriamatsinoro (Madagascar & Al Adalah)

·      Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)

·      Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon & Paris Saint-Germain)

·      Ferjani Sassi(Tunisia & Zamalek)

·      Hakim Ziyech (Morocco & Ajax)

·      Idrissa Gueye (Senegal & Paris Saint-Germain)

·      Ismail Bennacer (Algeria & AC Milan)

·      Jordan Ayew (Ghana & Crystal Palace)

·      Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)

·      Kodjo Fo Doh Laba (Togo & Al Ain)

·      Mahmoud Hassan”Trezeguet” (Egypt & Aston Villa)

·      Mbwana Samatta (Tanzania & Genk)

·      Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)

·      Moussa Marega (Mali & Porto)

·      Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)

·      Nicolas Pepe (Côte d’Ivoire & Arsenal)

·      Odion Ighalo (Nigeria & Shanghai Shenhua)

·      Percy Tau (South Africa & Club Brugge)

·      Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Arsenal)

·      Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)

·      Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)

·      Taha Yassine Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance)

·      Thomas Teye Partey (Ghana & Atlético Madrid)

·      Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Lille)

·      Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria & Leicester City)

·      Wilfried Zaha (Côte d’Ivoire & Crystal Palace)

·      Youcef Belaili (Algeria & Ahli Jeddah)

African Women’s Player of the Year

·      Ajara Nchout (Cameroon & Valerenga )

·      Ange N’Guessan (Côte d’Ivoire & Tenerife)

·      Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona)

·      Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria & Rivers Angels)

·      Elizabeth Addo (Ghana & Jiangsu Suning)

·      Gabrielle Ouguene (Cameroon & CSKA Moscow)

·      Refiloe Jane (South Africa & AC Milan)

·      Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi & Jiangsu Suning)

·      Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Beijing Phoenix FC)

·      Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria & Southeastern Fire)

African Interclubs Player of the Year

· Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)

· Anice Badri (Tunisia & Esperance)

· Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)

· Emmanuel Okwi (Uganda & Simba)

· Ferjani Sassi (Tunisia & Zamalek)

· Fousseny Coulibaly (Cote d’Ivoire & Esperance)

· Franck Kom (Cameroon & Esperance)

· Herenilson (Angola & Petro de Luanda)

· Ismail El Haddad (Morocco & Wydad Casablanca)

· Jean-Marc Makusu (DR Congo & AS Vita)

· Kodjo Fo Doh Laba (Togo & RS Berkane / Al Ain)

· Mahmoud Alaa (Egypt & Zamalek)

· Meddie Kagere (Rwanda & Simba)

· Meschack Elia (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)

· Taha Yassine Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance)

· Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek)

· Themba Zwane (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)

· Trésor Mputu (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)

· Walid El Karti (Morocco & Wydad Casablanca)

· Youcef Belaïli (Algeria & Esperance / Ahli Jeddah)

African Youth Player of the Year

· Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)

· Amadou Haidara (Mali & RB Leipzig)

· Amadou Sagna (Senegal & Club Brugge)

· Enock Mwepu (Zambia & Red Bull Salzburg)

· Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal & Watford)

· Krépin Diatta (Senegal & Club Brugge)

· Moussa Djenepo (Mali & Southampton)

· Moussa Ndiaye (Senegal & Excellence Foot)

· Musa Barrow (Gambia & Atalanta)

· Osvaldo Pedro Capemba ‘Capita’ (Angola & Primeiro de Agosto)

· Patson Daka (Zambia & Red Bull Salzburg)

· Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria & Villarreal)

· Sekou Koita (Mali & Red Bull Salzburg)

· Steve Regis Mvoue (Cameroon & AS Azur Star)

· Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Lille)

· Zito Luvumbo (Angola & Primeiro de Agosto)

African Men’s Coach of the Year

· Aliou Cisse (Senegal – Senegal)

· Christian Gross (Switzerland – Zamalek)

· Corentin Martins (France – Mauritania)

· Djamel Belmadi (Algeria – Algeria)

· Faouzi Benzarti (Tunisia – Wydad Athletic Club)

· Gernot Rohr (Germany – Nigeria)

· Moïne Chaâbani (Tunisia – Esperance)

· Mounir Jaouani (Morocco – Berkane FC)

· Nicolas Dupuis (France – Madagascar)

· Pitso Mosimane (South Africa – Mamelodi Sundowns)

African Women’s Coach of the Year

· Alain Djeumfa (Cameroon)

· Bruce Mwape (Zambia)

· Clementine Toure (Côte d’Ivoire)

· Desiree Ellis (South Africa)

· David Ouma (Kenya)

· Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)

– Djeumfa
– Ouma
– Mwape
– Toure
– Ellis
– Dennerby

African Men’s National Team of the Year

· Algeria

· Madagascar

· Nigeria

· Senegal

· Tunisia

African Women’s National Team of the Year

· Cameroon

· Côte d’Ivoire

· Kenya

· Nigeria

· South Africa

· Zambia