African football body CAF has released the lists of nominees for the two major annual individual awards, the African Player of the Year and the Africa-based Player of the Year:
Algeria: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City/ENG), Islam Slimani (Leicester City/ENG), El Arabi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb/CRO)
Cameroon: Samuel Eto’o (Antalyaspor/TUR), Benjamin Mounkandjo(Lorient/FRA)
Democratic Republic of Congo: Cedric Bakambu (Villareal/ESP), Yannick Bolasie (Everton/ENG)
Egypt: Mohamed El Neny (Arsenal/ENG), Mohamed Salah (Roma/ITA)
Gabon: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund/GER, holder)
Ghana: Andre Ayew (West Ham/ENG)
Ivory Coast: Serge Aurier (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Eric Bailly (Manchester Utd/ENG), Gervinho (Hebei Fortune/CHN)
Kenya: Victor Wanyama (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG)
Liberia: William Jebor (Wydad Casablanca/MAR)
Morocco: Mehdi Benatia (Juventus/ITA), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax Amsterdam/NED)
Nigeria: Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City/ENG), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea/ENG), Ahmed Musa (Leicester City/ENG)
Senegal: Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli/ITA), Sadio Mane (Liverpool/ENG)
South Africa: Keegan Dolly (Mamelodi Sundowns), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs)
Tanzania: Mbwana Samatta (Genk/BEL)
Tunisia: Aymen Abdennour (Valencia/ESP), Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland/ENG)
Uganda: Dennis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA)
Zimbabwe: Khama Billiat (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA)
Ali Gabr, Ayman Hefny, Bassem Morsy (all Zamalek) have been shortlisted for the CAF’s Africa-based Player of the Year. CAF media, technical and development committees, journalists and TV consultants and national coaches or national technical directors will be involved in selection process. Abuja hosts awards ceremony on Jan 5 2017