Egyptian and Liverpool striker, Mohammed Salah has been named alongside his EPL team mate, Sadio Mane and Gabonese and Borussia Dortmund striker, Pierre Emerick Aubamayeang for the 2016/2017 African Footballer of the Year at the official launch of the Aieto 2017 CAF Awards
The trio that formed a part of a 30 man shortlist announced earlier in the year by CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad will vie for the prestigious CAF Award that will be announced in Accra on January 4,2017 at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.
The final phase of this shortlist was determined by votes from the Head Coaches/Technical Directors of the 54 National Associations affiliated to CAF plus Associate Members, Reunion Island and Zanzibar, together with the other half of the 20-member Panel of Experts.
Salah, who recently won the BBC Africa Footballer Award is seen as the firm favourite for the biggest individual award in African football and Mane, who is making the final shortlist for the second year running, both qualified their countries for the World Cup to be staged in Russia next year.
Salah helped the Pharaohs to silver medal in the 2017 Gabon AFCON. He has also been in top form for Liverpool and is currently the leading top scorer in the Premier League on twenty goals while his fellow Liverpool team mate who has been nominated for the second year in a row will consider his chance of winning the award to compliment his outstanding performance for club and country in the year under review.
With an extension in his current at Dortmund following a rift with his club that resulted in a suspension, Aubameyang will seek to battle his other African counterparts to win the award that he eluded him last year when he lost out to Algerian and Leicester City forward, Riyad Mahrez.
If Salah does win it, he would be the second Egyptian to be voted Africa’s Player of the Year by coaches and technical directors, with Mahmoud El Khatib winning the France Football edition of the award in 1983, before the CAF took over with their own official award.
He would also be the second player to win the award while at Liverpool, as in 2002 El Hadji Diouf received the award in large part due to a strong showing at the 2002 World Cup and before that with Lens in Ligue 1 in the second half of the 2001-02 season.
Other categories to be challenged for is the CAF Coach of Year which will be contested between Egyptian National Team head coach, Hector Cooper, Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr and Wydad Athletic club Head Coach, L’Hussein Amoutta.
The Women’s Player of the Year will also be fiercely contested by Nigerian and Dalian Quanjian player, Asisat Oshoala, South Africa and UWC Ladies forward, Chrestina Kgatlana and Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene of Cameroon and CSKA Moscow.
Cameroon, Nigeria and Egypt will battle it out on the team of the year category while Al Ahly, TP Mazembe and Wydad Athletic Club will contest for the Club of the Year Award.
Ghana’s female U-20 team, the Black Maidens will seek to win the Women’s Team of the Year Award against their counterparts from South Africa and Nigeria while Krepin Diatta of Senegal, Patson Daka of Zambia and Salam Giddou of Mali will be hoping to win CAF’s Young player of the Year Award.
Today Sports with Gottlieb Baako