Caf Player Of The Year Award: South African Women Dominate Shortlist

Despite having lesser nominations compared to South Africa, Nigeria, nonetheless has a strong quartet in the running for the award.

South Africa is fast becoming the new powerhouse in Women’s football in Africa ahead of Nigeria whose grip on the game on the continent is loosening.

Just after the victory over the Super Falcons in their opening group game at the women’s Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa scored another point over Nigeria, this time in the number of nominees for the CAF Women Player of the Year Award.

In the shortlist of nominees released by CAF on Wednesday, six South African players made the shortlist compared to Nigeria’s four nominees.

The six South African players nominated for the continent’s topmost individual award are Andile Dlamini, Bambanani Mbane, Thembi Kgatlana, Jermaine Seoposenwe, Refiloe Jane, and Linda Motlhalo.

Despite having lesser nominations compared to South Africa, Nigeria, nonetheless have a strong quartet in the run for the award.

Asisat Oshoala who is the most decorated African female footballer of all time is on the shortlist.

Already a joint-record four-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year recipient, Oshoala, could solely claim the record if she wins what would be a fifth individual award.

Apart from Oshoala, the trio of Rasheedat Ajibade, Uchenna Kanu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie are all on the star-studded nomination list

Just like Nigeria, Cameroon also have four of its players nominated while the likes of Ghana and Morocco have three players each making the cut.

Tunisia, Zambia, and Botswana all have two of their players nominated while the remaining four countries have just one player each.

Since it was instituted in 2001, Nigerian players have won the Africa Women’s Player of the Year Award 11 times with Oshoala and Perpetua Nkwocha winning it eight times between them. Cynthia Uwak has also won the award twice

Both South Africa and Ghana have seen their players win the award on two different occasions each while Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea players have both won once each.