Caf Awards: Mahrez, Mane And Salah On Final Shortlist
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has announced its three-man shortlist for the 2019 Player of the Year awards with Algeria's Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez joining Liverpool duo Sadio Mane of Senegal and Egypt's Mohamed Salah on the list.
Mane and Salah have just helped Liverpool win the Fifa Club World Cup with Salah in contention to win the prize for a third successive time.
Mahrez captained Algeria to Nations Cup success in Egypt in 2019 with Mane helping Senegal reach the final.
The women's shortlist has also been narrowed down to three names with Ajara Nchout of Cameroon and Valerenga joined by Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria and Barcelona and South Africa's Beijing Phoenix FC star Thembi Kgatlana.
The final phase of voting for the men's and women's Player of the Year, as well as the male and female Coach of the Year, will be selected by head coaches/technical directors and captains of senior national teams from Caf member associations.
The winners will be announced during the Caf Awards ceremony on 7 January in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.
Full list of shortlists are as follows (in alphabetical order)
Men's Player of the Year:
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
- Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
- Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
Women's Player of the Year:
- Ajara Nchout (Cameroon & Valerenga)
- Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona)
- Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Beijing Phoenix FC)
African Interclubs Player of the Year:
- Anice Badri (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek)
- Youcef Belaïli (Algeria & Esperance / Ahli Jeddah)
African Youth Player of the Year:
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)
- Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria & Villarreal)
- Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Lille)
African Men's Coach of the Year:
- Aliou Cisse (Senegal - Senegal)
- Djamel Belmadi (Algeria - Algeria)
- Moïne Chaâbani (Tunisia - Esperance)
African Women's Coach of the Year:
- Alain Djeumfa (Cameroon)
- Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
- Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)
African Men's National Team of the Year:
- Algeria
- Madagascar
- Senegal
African Women's National Team of the Year:
- Cameroon
- Nigeria
- South Africa