The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced nominees for the player of the year award.
The 30-man list featured no Ghanaian player despite the likes of Thomas Partey, Daniel Amartey, Joseph Aidoo, Edmund Addo, Andre Ayew and Jeffrey Schlupp impressing at their respective clubs and the Ghana national team in the 2021/22 season.
The list was dominated by top football stars like Manchester City superstar Ryhad Mahrez, Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane, Liverpool talisman Mohammed Salah, Borussia Dortmund and Ivory Coast striker Sebastien Haller, Achraf Hakimi of PSG and Morocco, Mohammed Elneny of Arsenal and Egypt as well as Naby Keita of Liverpool and Guinea.
Other highly recognised football stars nominated include Vincent Aboubacar, Franck Zanbo Anguissa, Franck Kessie, Edmund Tapsoba, Karl Toko Ekambi, Yves Bissouma, Musa Barrow and host of others.
The only award that had a Ghanaian vying for was the young player of the year where Rennes and Ghana wonderkid Kamaldeen Sulemana was nominated.
Kamaldeen will contest Illaix Moriba of RB Leipzig, Dango Ouattara of Lorient, Ivorian Karim Konate (Cote d’Ivoire & ASEC/RB Salzburg), Jesus Owono of Alaves, Akinkunmi Amoo of Nigeria and FC Copenhagen, Mali’s El Bilal Toure and host of others.
The ceremony will be held ahead of the final of the Women’s Cup of Nations (Wafcon) – a competition scheduled to take place between July 2 and July 23 – in Morocco. The period under consideration is from September 2021 to June 2022 at all levels.
Full list of nominees for 2022 Caf Awards
Player of the Year (Men)
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Aston Villa)
Blati Toure (Burkina Faso & Pyramids)
Edmund Tapsoba (Burkina Faso & Bayer Leverkusen)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon & Napoli)
Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon & Lyon)
Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon & Al Nassr)
Youssouf M’Changama (Comoros & Guingamp)
Franck Kessie (Cote d’Ivoire & AC Milan)
Sebastien Haller (Cote d’Ivoire & Ajax)
Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt & Al Ahly)
Mohamed Elneny (Egypt & Arsenal)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
Mohamed Shenawy (Egypt & Al Ahly)
Musa Barrow (Gambia & Bologna)
Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)
Aliou Dieng (Mali & Al Ahly)
Hamari Traore (Mali & Rennes)
Yves Bissouma (Mali & Tottenham Hotspur)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Paris Saint-Germain)
Sofiane Boufal (Morocco & Angers)
Yahya Jabrane (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco & Sevilla)
Moses Simon (Nigeria & Nantes)
Edouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea)
Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
Nampalys Mendy (Senegal & Leicester City)
Sadio Mane (Senegal & Bayern Munich)
Saliou Ciss (Senegal & Nancy)
Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)
Interclub Player of the Year (Men)
Riad Benayad (ES Setif)
Tiago Azulao (Petro Atletico)
Karim Konate (ASEC Mimosas)
Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly)
Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly)
Mohamed Shenawy (Al Ahly)
Mohamed Sherif (Al Ahly)
Percy Tau (Al Ahly)
Morlaye Sylla (Horoya)
Achraf Dari (Wydad Athletic Club)
Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Athletic Club)
Zouhair El Moutaraji (Wydad Athletic Club)
Mouhcine Moutouali (Raja Club Athletic)
Issoufou Dayo (RS Berkane)
Youssou El Fahli (RS Berkane)
Victorien Adebayor (Niger & Union Sportive Gendarmerie Nationale)
Peter Shalulile (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Bandile Shandu (Orlando Pirates)
Thembinkosi Lorch (Orlando Pirates)
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Esperance Sportive de Tunis)
Young Player of the Year (Men)
Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso & Lorient)
Karim Konate (Cote d’Ivoire & ASEC/RB Salzburg)
Jesus Owono (Equatorial Guinea & Alaves)
James Gomez (The Gambia & AC Horsens)
Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ghana & Rennes)
Ilaix Moriba Kourouma (Guinea & Valencia)
El Bilal Toure (Mali & Reims)
Akinkunmi Amoo (Nigeria & FC Copenhagen)
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal & Metz)
Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia & Manchester United)
Coach of the Year (Men)
Kamou Malo (Burkina Faso)
Amir Abdou (Comoros)
Carlos Quieroz (Egypt)
Pitso Mosimane (Al Ahly)
Tom Saintfiet (The Gambia)
Florent Ibenge (RS Berkane)
Vahid Halilhodzic (Morocco)
Walid Regragui (Wydad Athletic Club)
Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
Mandla Ncikazi (Orlando Pirates)
National Team of the Year (Men)
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Comoros
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
The Gambia
Mali
Morocco
Senegal
Tunisia
Club of the Year (Men)
ES Setif (Algeria)
Petro Atletico (Angola)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Al Ahly (Egypt)
Ahli Tripoli (Libya)
Al Ittihad (Libya)
Raja Club Athletic (Morocco)
RS Berkane (Morocco)
Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)
Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
