*Osimhen, Chukwueze, Oshoala on card
By Ben Alozie
Former Super Eagles striker and highest goalscorer at the 2019 AFCON, Odion Ighalo has been dropped from the final shortlist of the 2019 Africa Player of the Year award. The final three contenders for the coveted crown were released on Sunday.
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane of Senegal and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez, are the three players who made final cut.
The nominees were pruned to three following votes from CAF Technical & Development Committee, panel of media experts and a select panel of CAF Legends, made up of former winners of the prestigious African Player of the Year award.
However, three Nigerian players made the nfinal shortist in cut other categories.
Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala is on a three-woman shortlist for the African Women’s Player of the Year and she is joined by Ajara Nchout (Cameroon & Valerenga) and Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Beijing Phoenix FC).
Borussia Dortmund’s Morocco national-teamer Achraf Hakimi is battling Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen for the African Youth Player of the Year.
Former Super Falcons manager Thomas Dennerby, Desiree Ellis and Alain Djeumfa are competing for the African Women’s Coach of the Year, while Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa made it to the top three African Women’s National Team of the Year.
The winners of the awards will be revealed during the CAF Awards ceremony on January 7, 2020, at the Albatros Citadel Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada, Egypt.
