Caf cuts shortlist for Player of the Year to five names
- Published
Last year's winner, Samuel Eto'o, is in the running to win an unprecedented fifth Caf Footballer of the Year award
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has reduced its nominees for the African Player of the Year Award from 10 names to just five.
Those still in with a chance of winning the title are Ghana's Andre 'Dede' Ayew, Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o, Seydou Keita of Mali, Senegal's Moussa Sow and Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast.
Eto'o, who now plays in Russia with Anzhi Makhachkala after a big-money move from Italian side Inter Milan, won the award last year for a fourth time.
The five players to miss the cut are Adel Taarabt of Morocco, Ghanaian duo Asamoah Gyan and Kevin-Prince Boateng as well as Ivory Coast pair Didier Drogba and Gervinho.
The shortlist for Player of the Year and the Africa-Based Player of the Year were decided by votes from the head coaches or technical directors of the national associations affiliated to Caf.
All three candidates for Africa-based award ply their trade in Tunisia, with two of them - Oussama Darragi and Yaya Banana - representing this year's African Champions League winners Esperance.
Caf's Technical, Football and Media committees decided on the shortlists for the other categories, taking into account the performance of the nominees from January to November this year.
The winners will be unveiled at a ceremony on 22 December in the Ghanaian capital Accra.
Full list of Nominees:
African Player of the Year 2011: Andre Ayew (Marseille and Ghana), Samuel Eto'o (Anzhi Makhachkala and Cameroon), Seydou Keita (Barcelona and Mali), Moussa Sow (Lille and Senegal), Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
African Player of the Year 2011 (Based in Africa): Oussama Darragi (Esperance and Tunisia), Zouhir Dhaouadi (Club Africain and Tunisia), Banana Yaya (Esperance and Cameroon)
National Team of the Year: Botswana, Ivory Coast, Niger, Tunisia
Women's National Team of the Year: Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa
Club of the Year: Esperance (Tunisia), MAS (Morocco), Wydad Athletic (Morocco)
Most Promising Talent of the Year: Ahmed El Shenawi (El Masry and Egypt), Souleymane Coulibaly (Tottenham Hotspur and Ivory Coast), Ahmed Musa (VVV Venlo and Nigeria)
Coach of the Year: Harouna Doula (Niger), Nabil Maaloul (Esperance, Tunisia), Stanley Tshosane (Botswana)
Women's Footballer of the Year: Nompumelelo Nyandani (South Africa). Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria), Miriam Paixao Silva (Equatorial Guinea)
Referee of the Year: Alioum Neant (Cameroon), Noumandiez Doue (Ivory Coast), Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)
Legend Award: Mustapha Hadji (Morocco), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria)