Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala led the domination by Nigeria in the preliminary nominations for the various women’s categories for the CAF Awards 2023 released by the Confederation of African Football on Tuesday.
The nominees were selected by a distinguished panel made up of CAF Technical Experts, Legends, and selected media representatives, taking into consideration their performances at all levels from December 2022 to November 2023.
The CAF Awards 2023 will feature several new categories, including the best women’s goalkeeper, the interclub player of the year, and the club of the year.
The winner of each category will be decided after votes from a voting panel consisting of CAF Technical Committee, media professionals from Member Associations, Head Coaches & Captains of Member Associations and clubs involved in the group stages of the Interclub competitions.
The Awards Gala is to be graced by the crème de la crème of African football on 11 December 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Among the CAF awards nominees, Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala stands out as the leading contender for the prestigious Player of the Year award, which she claimed for a record fifth time during the last Awards Gala in July 2022 in Rabat, Morocco. Oshoala has been in sensational form for Barcelona, helping them win the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the Spanish league title.
She was also the only African player nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
Oshoala is not the only Nigerian star to be nominated for the CAF African Player of the year awards, as six other players have made the cut for the Player of the Year award. They include Chiamaka Nnadozie, who plays for Paris FC, Christy Ucheibe, who plays for Benfica, Osinachi Ohale, Atletico Madrid’s Rasheedat Ajibade, Sevella’s Toni Payne and Uchenna Kanu, who plays for Racing Louisville.
Nnadozie is also among the 10 nominees for the first-ever CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award. Nnadozie has been impressive for both club and country, keeping 10 clean sheets in 18 games for Paris FC and helping Nigeria qualify for the Round of 16 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Young Player of the Year category, limited to players not more than 21 years, features three Nigerian talents: Deborah Abiodun, Esther Opeyemi Ajakaye, and Oluwatosin Demehin. Abiodun plays for Pittsburg Panthers in the USA, Ajakaye plays for Delta Queens in Nigeria, and Demehin plays for Stade Reims in France.
The Coach of the Year category also has a Nigerian nominee: Randy Waldrum, who guided the Super Falcons to knockout stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, defeating co-hosts Australia and playing goalless draws against Canada and Northern Ireland.
The National Team of the Year category includes the Super Falcons.
Full List of Nominees (in alphabetic order by Member Association):
Player of the Year (Women)
1. Ajara Nchout Njoya (Cameroon, Internazionale Milano)
2. Evelyn Badu (Ghana, Avaldnes)
3. Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi, Paris Saint-Germain)
4. Temwa Chawinga (Malawi, Wuhan Jiangda)
5. Anissa Lahmari (Morocco, Levante Las Planas)
6. Fatima Tagnaout (Morocco, AS FAR)
7. Ghizlaine Chebbak (Morocco, AS FAR)
8. Ibtissam Jraidi (Morocco, AS FAR/Al Ahli)
9. Khadija Er-Rmichi (Morocco, AS FAR)
10. Zenatha Coleman (Namibia, Fenerbahce)
11. Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria, Barcelona)
12. Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria, Paris FC)
13. Christy Ucheibe (Nigeria, Benfica)
14. Osinachi Ohale (Nigeria, Alaves/Pachuca)
15. Rasheedat Ajibade (Nigeria, Atletico Madrid)
16. Toni Payne (Nigeria, Sevilla)
17. Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria, Tigres/Racing Louisville)
18. Ndeye Awa Diakhaté (Senegal, Olympique de Marseille)
19. Andile Dlamini (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns)
20. Hilda Magaia (South Africa, Sejong Sportstoto)
21. Jermaine Seoposenwe (South Africa, Juarez/Monterrey)
22. Linda Motlhalo (South Africa, Glasgow City)
23. Refiloe Jane (South Africa, Sassuolo)
24. Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa, Racing Louisville)
25. Afi Sabine Woedikou (Togo, Strasbourg/Nantes)
26. Sabrina Ellouzi (Tunisia, Excelsior)
27. Fazila Ikwaput (Uganda, Kampala Queens)
28. Barbara Banda (Zambia, Shanghai Shengli)
29. Grace Chanda (Zambia, Madrid CFF)
30. Rachael Kundananji (Zambia, Madrid CFF)
Goalkeeper of the Year (Women)
1. Ange Bawou (Cameroon, Bayelsa Queens/ BIIK-Shymkent)
2. Dolores Hernandez Masongo (Equatorial Guinea, Huracanes)
3. Imane Abdelahad (Morocco, SC Casablanca)
4. Khadija Er-Rmichi (Morocco, AS FAR)
5. Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria, Paris FC)
6. Andile Dlamini (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns)
7. Kaylin Swart (South Africa, JVW)
8. Najiat Abass Idrisa (Tanzania, JKT Queens)
9. Catherine Musonda (Zambia, Tomiris Turan)
10. Cynthia Shongwe (Zimbabwe, Harare City)
Interclub Player of the Year (Women)
1. Refilwe Tholakele (Botswana, Mamelodi Sundowns)
2. N’Guessan Nadege Koffi (Cote d’Ivoire, SC Casablanca)
3. Elena Oyana (Equatorial Guinea, Huracanes)
4. Comfort Yeboah (Ghana, Ampem Darkoa)
5. Tracy Twum (Ghana, Ampem Darkoa)
6. Oumou Kone (Mali, AS Mande)
7. Aziza Rabbah (Morocco, AS FAR)
8. Fatima Tagnaout (Morocco, AS FAR)
9. Ghizlaine Chebbak (Morocco, AS FAR)
10. Lebohang Ramalepe (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns)
Young Player of the Year (not more than 21 years)
1. Comfort Yeboah (Ghana, Ampem Darkoa)
2. Mary Amponsah (Ghana, Ampem Darkoa)
3. Nesryne El Chad (Morocco, Lille)
4. Deborah Abiodun (Nigeria, Pittsburg Panthers)
5. Esther Opeyemi Ajakaye (Nigeria, Delta Queens)
6. Oluwatosin Demehin (Nigeria, Stade Reims)
7. Hapsatou Malado Diallo (Senegal, USPA/Eibar)
8. Thubelihle Shamase (South Africa, University of Johannesburg FC)
9. Winifreda Gerald (Tanzania, JKT Queens)
10. Fauzia Najjemba (Uganda, Dynamo Moscow)
Coach of the Year (Women)
1. Nana Joe Adarkwa (Ampem Darkoa)
2. Lovemore Fazili (Malawi)
3. Mehdi El Qaichouri (SC Casablanca)
4. Mohamed Amine Alioua (AS FAR)
5. Reynald Pedros (Morocco)
6. Randy Waldrum (Nigeria)
7. Mame Moussa Cisse (Senegal)
8. Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
9. Jerry Tshabalala (Mamelodi Sundowns)
10. Esther Chabruma (JKT Queens)
National Team of the Year (Women)
1. Burkina Faso
2. Burundi
3. Ghana
4. Malawi
5. Morocco
6. Nigeria
7. Senegal
8. South Africa
9. Tanzania
10. Zambia
Club of the Year (Women)
1. Athletico d’Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire)
2. Huracanes (Equatorial Guinea)
3. Ampem Darkoa (Ghana)
4. AS Mande (Mali)
5. AS FAR (Morocco)
6. SC Casablanca (Morocco)
7. Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
8. JKT Queens (Tanzania)
