One of these three is CAF’s 2022 Men’s Player of the Year

Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah and Senegalese duo Sadio Mane and Edouard Mendy are the three finalists for this year’s CAF Men’s Player of the Year award.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday released the final list of nominees from the 10-man shortlist on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s CAF Awards in Rabat, Morocco.

**FILE PHOTO: Sadio Mane of Senegal is the reigning CAF Men’s Player of the Year. /CFP**

Salah and Mane have won the award since 2017 with Salah claiming it in 2017 and 2018 and Mane, the reigning player of the year, clinching it in 2019, the last time the awards were held before COVID-19 forced a break.

The women’s player of the year nominees are four-time winner Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria, Cameroon’s Ajara Nchout Njoya and Grace Chanda of Zambia.

The men’s coach of the year category features Aliou Cisse, who led Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualification; Carlos Queiroz, who guided Egypt to the 2021 AFCON final, and Walid Regragui, who coached Morocco’s Wydad Athletic Club to a third CAF Champions League title.

The women’s coach of the year nominees are: Bruce Mwape (Zambia), Desiree Ellis (South Africa), Jerry Tshabalala (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Reynald Pedros (Morocco).

The teams nominated in the men’s team of the year category are Wydad Athletic Club, CAF Confederation Cup winners RS Berkane of Morocco and Egyptian giants Al Ahly. The nominees in the women’s category are AS FAR (Morocco), Hasaacas Ladies (Ghana)and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa).

South Africa’s women’s national team, which will play in the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, could win the CAF women’s national team of the year award. Team coach Desiree Ellis has already been nominated for the women’s coach of the year award. /CFP

2021 AFCON finalists Senegal and Egypt, and hosts Cameroon have been nominated in the men’s national team of the year category while the winner in the women’s category will be announced on July 23 following the conclusion of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

“Due to the absence of a major women’s competition during the period under review, the Organising Team for the CAF Awards 2022 has reviewed the selection process for this important category. The TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco will be factored as one of the criterion in deciding a winner befitting of the status of the award and women’s football in general,” CAF said in a statement.

(Story compiled with assistance from wire reports)