Banyana players in line to save face for SA at Thursday’s Caf Awards

After a two-year absence due to Covid-19, the Caf Awards are back and women’s football could save face for SA again as men’s football continues to deteriorate.

One of four Banyana players — Andile Dlamini (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bambanani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns), Thembi Kgatlana (Atletico Madrid/Racing Louisville) and Refiloe Jane (AC Milan) — could walk away with 2021/22 Caf Women of the Year Award in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday.

Boosting SA’s ladies chances of winning a personal award is Banyana booking their place in Saturday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final against hosts Morocco after their 1-0 victory over Zambia in Monday’s semifinal.

Banyana players are up against Ajara Nchout Njoya (Cameroon, Inter Milan), Evelyn Badu (Ghana, Alvaldsnes), Doris Boaduwaa (Ghana, Sekondi Hasaacas), Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco, AS FAR), Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria, Barcelona) and Grace Chanda (Zambia, BIIK Kazygurt).

Oshoala of Nigeria was a shoo-in to win the award for the fifth time, but her injury in the early stages of Wafcon in Morocco, alongside that of Kgatlana, could see one of SA’s stars, Dlamini, Mbane or Jane, following on the footsteps of Kgatlana (2018) and Noko Matlou (2008), the only SA players to win the award. 

SA’s opportunity with Banyana doesn’t end there, as coach Desiree Ellis, who won Women’s Coach of the Year award in 2018 and 2019, has a big chance to bag it for a third time in a row, especially now she’s not only propelled Banyana to another Wafcon final butalso qualified her team for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.

There’s no hope of any SA men bagging an award on Thursday night. Their woefulness is underlined by the fact that none of them have been nominated for the coveted Player of the Year award.

One of the nine coaches Ellis is up against is fellow South African Jerry Tshabalala of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. Tshabalala won the inaugural Caf Champions League with Sundowns late last year.

Other nominated coaches are Gaoletlhoo Nkutlwisang (Botswana), Gabriel Zabo (Cameroon), Yusif Basigi (Hasaacas Ladies), Reynald Pedros (Morocco), Randy Waldrum (Nigeria), Mame Moussa Cisse (Senegal), Samir Landolsi (Tunisia) and Bruce Mwape (Zambia).

With Caf having created another award — Interclub Player of Year — there’s an opportunity for women’s players who are not plying their trade abroad to win something. In this category, SA’s trio of Dlamini (Sundowns), Mbane (Sundowns) and Andisiwe Mgcoyi (Sundowns) will have a lot to say about who wins it.

Dlamini, the Sundowns goalkeeper who didn’t concede a goal when they won the Champions League tournament in Egypt, is a favourite to win the accolade.

The three Sundowns players are competing against Badu (Sekondi Hasaacas/Alvaldsnes), Boaduwaa (Sekondi Hasaacas), Chebbak (AS FAR), Sanaa Mssoudy (AS FAR), Fatima Tagnaout (AS FAR) and Rose Bella (Malabo Kings).

Sundowns are also nominated for the Club of the Year award, where they’re up against Champions League runners-up Sekondi Hasaacas of Ghana, AS FAR (Morocco), Malabo Kings (Equatorial Guinea) and Rivers Angels (Nigeria).

There’s no hope of any SA men bagging an award on Thursday night. Their woefulness is underlined by the fact that none of them has been nominated for the coveted Player of the Year award, where former Liverpool teammates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah top a 10-man shortlist.

Mane, who joined German champions Bayern Munich last month, had the upper hand over Salah at international level this year, with Senegal beating Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final in February and winning their 2022 World Cup playoff tie against the Pharaohs a month later.

Mane was the last man to win Africa’s biggest gong back in 2019. Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez, a Premier League winner with Manchester City, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita are among 10 shortlisted players.

Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar, who became the first player to score eight goals at the Afcon in more than a half century, Karl Toko Ekambi, Achraf Hakimi, Sebastien Haller and Kalidou Koulibaly round off the nominees.

Senegal may also have a winner in coach Aliou Cisse, who has Carlos Queiroz (Egypt), Pitso Mosimane (Al Ahly), Tom Saintfiet (The Gambia) and Walid Regragui (Wydad Athletic Club) as fellow nominees for Coach of the Year. Senegal’s men’s team is also expected to win Team of the Year.

FULL LIST OF MEN'S NOMINEES

Player of the Year (Men)

• Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
• Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon & Lyon)
• Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon & Al Nassr)
• Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
• Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)
• Sebastien Haller (Ivory Coast & Borussia Dortmund)
• Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Paris St-Germain)
• Edouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea)
• Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
• Sadio Mane (Senegal & Bayern Munich)

Interclub Player of the Year (Men)

• Tiago Azulao (Petro Atletico)
• Karim Konate (ASEC Mimosas)
• Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly)
• Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly)
• Percy Tau (Al Ahly)
• Mohamed Sherif (Al Ahly)
• Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly)
• Achraf Dari (Wydad Athletic Club)
• Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Athletic Club)
• Zouheir El Moutaraji (Wydad Athletic Club)

Young Player of the Year (Men)

• Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso & Lorient)
• Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ghana & Rennes)
• Karim Konate (Ivory Coast & ASEC/RB Salzburg)
• Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal & Metz)
• Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia & Manchester United)

Coach of the Year (Men)

• Carlos Queiroz (Egypt)
• Pitso Mosimane (Al Ahly)
• Tom Saintfiet (The Gambia)
• Walid Regragui (Wydad Athletic Club)
• Aliou Cisse (Senegal)

National Team of the Year

• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Egypt
• Morocco
• Senegal

Club of the Year

• Petro Atletico (Angola)
• Al Ahly (Egypt)
• RS Berkane (Morocco)
• Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)
• Orlando Pirates (SA)

FULL LIST OF WOMEN’S NOMINEES

Player of the Year

• Ajara Nchout Njoya (Cameroon & Inter Milan)
• Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Alvaldsnes)
• Doris Boaduwaa (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas)
• Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco & AS FAR)
• Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona)
• Andile Dlamini (SA & Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Bambanani Mbane (SA & Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Thembi Kgatlana (SA & Atletico Madrid/Racing Louisville)
• Refiloe Jane (SA & AC Milan)
• Grace Chanda (Zambia & BIIK Kazygurt)

Young Player of the Year

• Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas/Alvaldsnes)
• Doris Boaduwaa (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas/Alvaldsnes)
• Yasmine Zouhir (Morocco & Saint-Etienne)
• Gift Monday (Nigeria & River Angels/FC Robo)
• Flourish Sebastine (Nigeria & Bayelsa Queens)

Interclub Player of the Year

• Andile Dlamini (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Bambanani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Andisiwe Mgcoyi (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Evelyn Badu (Sekondi Hasaacas/Alvaldsnes)
• Doris Boaduwaa (Sekondi Hasaacas)
• Ghizlane Chebbak (AS FAR)
• Sanaa Mssoudy (AS FAR)
• Fatima Tagnaout (AS FAR)
• Rose Bella (Malabo Kings)
• Gift Monday (River Angels/FC Robo)

Coach of the Year

• Gaoletlhoo Nkutlwisang (Botswana)
• Gabriel Zabo (Cameroon)
• Yusif Basigi (Hasaacas Ladies)
• Reynald Pedros (Morocco)
• Randy Waldrum (Nigeria)
• Mame Moussa Cisse (Senegal)
• Desiree Ellis (SA)
• Jerry Tshabalala (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Samir Landolsi (Tunisia)
• Bruce Mwape (Zambia)

Club of the Year

• Mamelodi Sundowns (SA)
• Sekondi Hasaacas (Ghana)
• AS FAR (Morocco)
• Malabo Kings (Equatorial Guinea)
• Rivers Angels (Nigeria)