Mané set to scoop top award at CAF Awards in Egypt
Ahram Online, , Monday 6 Jan 2020
Liverpool winger Mané was announced among the top three nominees for the most prestigious award in the African continent on the individual level, alongside Mahrez and Salah


Senegal's Sadio Mané is highly expected to clinch the 2019 African Player of the Year ahead of Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Riyad Mahrez of Algeria at the CAF gala that will be held in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Hurghada on Tuesday.


The 28th edition of the CAF Awards ceremony will start at 21:00 Cairo local time (GMT+2) at Sahl Hashish resort on a floating theatre on the coast of the Red Sea.


FIFA President Gianni Infantino, CAF President Ahmad Ahmad and several African and international former players such as Didier Drogba of Cote d'Ivoire, Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon, Juan Sebastian Veron of Argentina, and Cafu of Brazil arrived in Cairo earlier this week and are scheduled to attend the ceremony.


Iconic football figures such as the legendary referee Pierluigi Collina, and former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger, in addition to former Pharaohs stars Ahmed Hossam "Mido", Wael Gomaa and Ahmed Hassan willl be present at the ceremony.


This will be the first time the gala takes place in a North African country since 2010, when it was also held in Egypt.


Hot favourite


The 27-year-old Liverpool winger, Mané, is heading the final shortlist for the African Player of the Year following an astonishing year with Liverpool and Senegal.


Mané helped Liverpool claim the UEFA Champions League title for the first time since 2005, scoring 10 goals in 11 games. He also led Senegal to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations only to lose to Algeria.


On the individual level, he won the Premier League Golden Boot after scoring 22 goals.


Mané has made it to the final shortlist for the fourth year in a row as he finished second to Salah in the last two editions and came in third in 2016 behind winner Mahrez and Gabonese striker Pierre-Emeric Aubameyang was second.


Algeria captain Mahrez is expected to miss the ceremony because his team Manchester City are scheduled to face Manchester United on Tuesday in the semi-final of the League Cup.




The shortlist of nominees for CAF Awards 2019:

African Player of the Year

Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)

African Interclubs Player of the Year

Anice Badri (Tunisia & Esperance)
Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek)
Youcef Belaïli (Algeria & Esperance / Ahli Jeddah)

African Youth Player of the Year

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)
Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria & Villarreal)
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Lille)

African Men’s Coach of the Year

Aliou Cisse (Senegal - Senegal)
Djamel Belmadi (Algeria - Algeria)
Moïne Chaâbani (Tunisia - Esperance)

African Men’s National Team of the Year

Algeria
Madagascar
Senegal

African Women’s Player of the Year

Ajara Nchout (Cameroon & Valerenga)
Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona)
Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Beijing Phoenix FC)

African Women’s Coach of the Year

Alain Djeumfa (Cameroon)
Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)

African Women’s National Team of the Year

Cameroon
Nigeria
South Africa

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