Moses misses CAF award

 

Hopes of a Nigerian emerging the 2017 African Footballer of the Year were dashed on Monday with the release of the final shortlist of the CAF AITEO African Footballer of the Year without the name of Victor Moses.

Moses’ name had made the penultimate list, fueling hopes that a Nigerian might win the award for the first time in 18 years. But the Chelsea player failed to make the final shortlist as released by CAF on Monday.

Mohammed Salah, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Sadio Mane are the three players left in the running. Salah, just last week, won the BBC African Player of the Year award, beating Moses and three other players to the gong. Both Aubameyang and Mane were runners-up in last year’s CAF award, though the later was the winner of the 2015 edition.

However, there is good news for Nigerians in other categories.

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is still in the race for the Coach of the Year award. The German led the Super Eagles to winning the 2018 World Cup ticket in a group that had Zambia, Algeria and African champions Cameroon. Hector Cuper, who guided Egypt to their first World Cup birth since 1990 is also in the running. L’Hussein Amoutta, coach of the 2017 CAF Champions League winners Wydad Athletic of Morocco, makes up the list.

Two-time winner Asisat Oshoala is gunning for her third Women’s Player of the Year award, but faces opposition from South Africa’s Christina Kgatlana and Gabrielle Onguene of Cameroon.

For the National Team of the Year award, Nigeria, the first African country to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, will square up to Cameroon, who won their fifth African title last February and Egypt, runners-up in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria are also listed for award in the Women’s National Team of the Year category where the U-20 side, the Falconets will contend with the Ghana U-20 team and the South African senior female team, Bayana Bayana.

TP Mazembe, Al Ahly and Wydad Athletic are the clubs in contention for the Club of the Year award, with Krepin Diatta, Patson Daka and Salam Giddou having to jostle for the Youth Player of the Year award.

Winners of the various categories will be announced at a ceremony in Accra, Ghana, on January 4, 2018.