GLO-CAF Awards: Aubameyang, Mahrez, Mane: Who is Africa’s best? • Iheanacho, Iwobi, Oshoala, Omagbemi also vie for honours

AFRICA’S best footballer for 2016 will emerge today as the GLO-CAF Awards hold at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

From the original 30-man list released last year, three players – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez – are left to contest for the diadem, won the last time by Gabon and Borussia Dortmund winger, Aubameyang. Mane is Senegalese and he plays for Liverpool FC in the English Premier League, while Mahrez, an Algerian, plays for Leicester City, also in the English top flight.

A number of Nigerians are also shortlisted for honours in various categories of the 2016 GLO-CAF Awards after the country missed out on the shortlist for the most prestigious of the gongs.

Nigeria and Nigerians are among the top five nominees in six categories among the total eight.

The duo of Super Eagles’ latest sensations – Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi – are among the players vying for plaudits. While Iwobi is listed for the Youth Player of the Year award, Iheanacho is among the contenders for the Most Promising Talent of the Year award – the same gong he won in 2013 after his exploits at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Iwobi will be up against Ghana’s Sandra Owusu-Ansah and Eric Ayiah, Franck Kessie of Ivory Coast and Sidiki Maiga of Mali. Iheanacho’s co-contestants are his compatriot Oghenekaro Etebo, Naby Keita of Guinea, DR Congo’s Elia Meschak and Ramadan Sobhi from Egypt.

Former Women Player of the Year, Asisat Oshoala is in contention again for this year’s award having been shortlisted with Janine Van Wyk of South Africa, Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene and Raissa Feudjlo Tchanyo of Cameroon and Elizabeth Addo of Ghana. Oshoala, highest goal scorer at the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, was the winner of the award in 2014.

Super Falcons coach Florence Omagbemi is shortlisted for the Manager of the Year award together with Florent Ibenge of DR Congo, Milutin Sredojevic of Uganda, Pitso Mosimane of Mamelodi Sundowns FC of South Africa and Nacer Sandjak of Algerian club side MO Bejaia. Omagbemi, former captain of the Falcons, made history last month after becoming the second African to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as a player and coach.

Nigeria are also shortlisted for the Women National Team of the Year and the National Team of the Year. The Super Falcons, holders of the African title, are in the running with Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In the National Team of the Year category, the Dream Team, bronze medallists at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will square up to DR Congo, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Uganda.

Those shortlisted for the Referee of the Year are Papa Gasama of The Gambia, Grishea Gehead of Egypt and Malang Diedhiou of Senegal. The top nominees in the Club of the Year category are Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, MO Bejaia of Algeria, TP Mazembe of DR Congo, Zamalek of Egypt and Zesco United of Zambia.