Golden Eaglets Osimhen and Nwakali shortlisted for African Young Player of the Year

GOLDEN Eaglets Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Nwakali have been shortlisted for the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Young Player of the Year in recognition of their exploits at the recent U17 World Cup.

 

Nigeria emerged winners of the tournament which took place in Chile earlier this year, with Osimhen winning the golden boot after scoring 10 goals. Skipper Nwakali won the golden ball after being adjudged the best player of the tournament and both players are currently being highly sought after by several European clubs after their heroics.

 

Following their emergence ion the tournament, Nigeria's U23 team coach Samson Siasia invited the duo to camp for the U23 African Championships in Senegal, with Osimhen making the final squad. Now both players have been shortlisted for the Caf youth footballer of the year alongside Adama Traore and Samuel Diarra of Mali and Yaw Yeboha of Ghana.

 

Caf has also published the shortlist for its own African Player of the Year Awards due to hold at the International Convention Centre, in Abuja on January 7,  2016. Three players who made the list include Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Borrussia Dortmund, four-times winner, Yaya Toure of Cote d’Ivoire and Manchester City and Andrew Ayew of Ghana and Swansea City.

 

Sponsored by Globacom the awards will also honour the Africa-based Player of the Year Award and those already shortlisted for this include Mbwana Aly Samatta of Tanzania and TP Mazembe, Baghdad Bounedjah of Algeria and Etoile du Sahel and Robert Kidiaba of the Democratic Republic of Congo and TP Mazembe. Nominees for Women Player of the Year include Gabrielle Onguene and Gaelle Enganamouit of Cameroun, Ngozi Ebere of Nigeria, N’rehy Tia Ines of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana’s Portia Boakye.

 

For the Coach of the Year Award, Baye Ba of Mali's Under-17 team, Emmanuel Amuneke of Nigeria’s Under-17 team, Fawzi Benzarti of Etoile Sportive de Sahel, Herve Renard of Cote d'Ivoire and Patrice Carteron of TP Mazembe were nominated.  Azubuike Okechukwu of Nigeria, Djigui Diarra of Mali, Etebo Oghenekaro of Nigeria, Mahmoud Abdelmonem of Egypt, and Zinedine Ferhat of Algeria were shortlisted for the Most Promising Player of Year Award.

 

Also, the quartet of USMA of Algeria, TP Mazembe of DR Congo, Orlando Pirates of South Africa and Etoile Sportive du Sahel of Tunisia have been nominated for Club of the Year Award while Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa and Zimbabwe were nominated in the Women National Team of the Year category. Five referees including Alioum of Cameroun, Bakary Papa Gassama of Gambia, Eric Arnaud Otogo Castane of Gabon, Ghead Zaglol Grisha of Egypt and Janny Sikazwe of Zambia will compete for the Referee of The Year Award.