Pitso Mosimane‚ Khama Billiat and Denis Onyango will all be heading to Nigeria on Wednesday for Thursday’s Confederation of African Football awards in Abuja where Mamelodi Sundowns are expected to feature among the winners after a brilliant 2016.
Mosimane is one of the five nominees for the Coach of the Year award while Onyango and Billiat are battling each other for the award for the best home based African player.
Keegan Dolly and Hlompho Kekana did not make the final trio of finalists after also featuring in the last five for the African Player of the Year award.
Sundowns are also nominated in the Club of the Year category for which they are hot favourites.
Mosimane goes up against Uganda coach Mulitin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic (the former Orlando Pirates boss)‚ Democratic Republic of Congo coach Florent Ibenge‚ Algeria club Mouloudia Bejaia’s Nacer Sandjak and Florence Omagbemi‚ who took Nigeria’s women team to the African title recently.
Billiat will be leaving Zimbabwe’s training for the Nations Cup to make the quick trip to Nigeria.
The Sundowns’ party will also be accompanied by the club’s media officer Thulani Thuswa.
They will return directly after the ceremony and be back home late on Friday.
The last South African to win an award at the annual CAF was Noko Matlou in 2008 when she was named the continent’s best women’s player. - TMG Digital
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