Former Banyana Banyana head, Vera Pauw, is among a list of ten coaches who have been shortlisted for the prestigious Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2016 Award.

Pauw was with the South African Senior Women’s National Team for two and a half years, and led them through the qualification and participation of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in August.

She was still in charge when Banyana Banyana qualified for the 2016 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations scheduled to take place in Cameroon from 19 November to 3 December.

Pauw immediately left her post after the tournament as her contract had come to an end.

Her long-time assistant, Desiree Ellis has since taken over on an interim basis.

Maud Khumalo and Cheryl Botes assist her.

Experts from the Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ have shortlisted ten head coaches in women’s football as candidates for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2016.

The candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

  • Philippe Bergeroo (France/French national team)
  • Jill Ellis (USA/US national team)
  • John Herdman (England/Canadian national team)
  • Silvia Neid (Germany/German national team)
  • Vera Pauw (Netherlands/South African national team)
  • Gérard Prêcheur (France/Olympique Lyonnais)
  • Pia Sundhage (Sweden/Swedish national team)
  • Oswaldo Vadão (Brazil/Brazilian national team)
  • Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany/Swiss national team)
  • Thomas Wörle (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)

The winner of The Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2016 will be determined through a combined voting process, in which 50% of the decision will be based on the choices of all captains and head coaches of women’s national teams around the globe. The other 50% will be defined by the result of an online public ballot with football fans and the submissions from a selected group of over 200 media representatives from the six continents.

The ten shortlisted names for The Best FIFA Women’s Player will be unveiled on Thursday, 3 November. The list of 23 finalists for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award will be published on Friday, 4 November.

The voting process for player and coach of the year in 2016, in both men’s and women’s football, starts on 4 November and will be closed on 22 November. On 2 December, the final lists of three nominees for these categories – as well as for the FIFA Puskás Award and the brand new FIFA Fan Award – will be announced.

In late November, 55 nominees for the FIFA FIFPro World11 will be announced, while the winners of all categories, including the FIFA Fair Play Award 2016, will be presented at The Best FIFA Football Awards show on 9 January 2017.

To keep up with the latest news about The Best FIFA Football Awards, see the official FIFA Football Awards Facebook page. You can also join the discussion on Twitter about who should win this year’s prizes by using the hashtag #TheBest.

** additional reporting FIFA.COM **