15 December 2018 – Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana have been selected in three categories for the 2018 CAF Awards, and now stand at the gates of glory after being shortlisted in their respective categories.
Captain Janine van Wyk and forward Thembi Kgatlana are still in the running for the African Women’s Player of the Year award.
Kgatlana finished as the top goalscorer in the 2018 Women’s AFCON with five goals – she also walked away with the Player of the Tournament accolade. She was also a nominee for the African Player of the Year award in 2017.
Van Wyk, who is the highest capped footballer on the continent, has also been nominated for this award before, back in 2016. She has led Banyana Banyana to World Cup qualification as captain. She is a double Olympian (2012 and 2016), the first South African to play in the National Women’s Soccer League in the USA. She was recently named in the CAF top players for the 2018 Women’s AFCON.
Banyana Banyana’s fine form has seen them also being shortlisted in the CAF Women’s National Team of Year – an award they won early this year. They successfully defended their COSAFA Women’s Championship title and qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history.
South Africa goes toe to toe against Cameroon (2018 Women’s AFCON semi-finalists) and Nigeria (2018 Women’s AFCON finalists).
The same nations are also in a battle for the Coach of the Year category, where the respective coaches are vying for glory – Desiree Ellis (Banyana Banyana), Joseph Brian Ndoko (Cameroon) and Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria). All three nominees will be leading their teams at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in June.
Ellis is the only person to win the COSAFA Women’s Championship as both player and coach. She is also the first person to qualify the South African Senior Women’s National Team to a FIFA World Cup.
Dennerby led Nigeria to their record 9thWomen’s AFCON title, while Ellis came second and Ndoko third after pipping Mali in the third/fourth place play off.
The shortlisted nominees were decided by votes from the members of the Caf Technical and Development Committee.
The final phase will involve votes from CAF Media Experts, Legends, Coaches of the quarter-finalists of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, and coaches and Captains of the 54 Member Associations.
The Awards Gala will be held on Tuesday, 8 January 2019 in Dakar, Senegal.
HERE ARE THE NOMINEES:
Women’s African player of the Year
- Abdulai Mukarama (Ghana & Northern Ladies)
2. Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Dilian Quanjian)
3. Bassira Toure (Mali & AS Mande)
4. Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Houston Dash) - Elizabeth Addo (Ghana & Seattle Reign)
6. Francisca Ordega (Nigeria & Washington Spirit)
7. Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene (Cameroon & CSKA Moskow)
8. Janine Van Wyk (South Africa & Houston Dash) - Onome Ebi (Nigeria & Hekan Huisanhang)
10. Raissa Feudjio (Cameroon & Aland United)
11. Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi & Jiangsu Suning)
Women’s Coach of the Year
- Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
2. Joseph Brian Ndoko (Cameroon) - Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)
Women’s National Team of the Year
- Cameroon
- Nigeria
- South Africa
African Player of the Year
- Alex Iwobi (Nigeria & Arsenal)
2. Andre Onana (Cameroon & Ajax)
3. Anis Badri (Tunisia & Esperance)
4. Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns) - Mehdi Benatia (Morocco & Juventus)
6. Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
7. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Arsenal) - Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
9. Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
10. Walid Soliman (Egypt & Ahly)
Youth Player of the Year
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmunmd)
- Franck Kessie (Cote d’Ivoire & AC Milan)
3. Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria & Leicester City)
Men’s Coach of the Year
- Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
2. Herve Renard (Morocco)
3. Moine Chaabani (Esperance)
Men’s National Team of the Year
- Madagascar
- Mauritania
- Uganda