CAF nominates Twiga Stars, JKT Queens for 2023 awards
What you need to know:
- The categories in which Tanzania have emerged, according to CAF’s statement, are the best women’s national team in Africa, best young player, best goalkeeper, best club as well as best coach
Dar es Salaam. After the national football team (Taifa Stars) and Young Africans (Yanga) being nominated some weeks ago for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards, the country’s star has continued to illuminate after some players, coach, JKT Queens, and the national women’s team (Twiga Stars) being nominated for the women’s awards
According to CAF’s statement issued yesterday, some players, a coach, JKT Queens, and Twiga Stars have been nominated in five out of six categories ahead of the award night gala scheduled to take place on December 11 in Marrakech, Morocco.
The categories in which Tanzania has emerged, according to the statement, are the best women’s national team in Africa, best young player, best goalkeeper, best club as well as the best coach.
In the category of seeking the best women’s national team of the year, Twiga Stars are among the top 10 contenders including Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia.
Twiga Stars have been nominated after qualifying for the third round of the Olympic qualification tournament to be held in France next year after eliminating Ivory Coast.
JKT Queens, who recently featured in the African Women’s Champions League finals in Ivory Coast have been nominated for the best women’s football club in Africa award. JKT Queens compete against Athletico Abidjan of Ivory Coast, Huracanes (Equatorial Guinea), Ampem Darkoa Ladies (Ghana), AS Mande (Mali), AS FAR and CS Casablanca (Morocco) and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
Also, on the list is JKT Queens’ goalkeeper Najiat Idrisa, who has been nominated for the best women’s goalkeeper in Africa award. Idrisa is to be challenged by Ange Bawou of Cameroon); Dolores Masongo (Equatorial Guinea); Imane Abdelahad and Khadija Er-rmich (Morocco); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria); Andile Dlamini and Kaylin Swart (South Africa); Catherine Musonda (Zambia), and Cynthia Shongwe of Zimbabwe.
JKT Queens promising player Winfrida Gerald has been nominated in the category of the best young women’s player award. She is facing the challenge of Comfort Yeboah and Mary Amponsah, both from Ghana; Deborah Abiodun, Esther Ajakaye, and Oluwatosin Demehin (Nigeria); Nesryne el Chad (Morocco); Hapsatou Diallo (Senegal); Thubelihle Shamase (South Africa), and Fauzia Najjemba from Uganda.
The fifth category that Tanzania have entered is the best women’s football coach of the year, whereby they are represented by JKT Queens head coach Esther Chabruma, who recently led the team to the finals of the African Women’s Champions League. C
habruma is competing for the award against Nana Adarkwa from Ampem Darkoa of Ghana, Lovemore Fazili (Malawi), CS Casablanca’s head coach Mehdi Qaichouri and Mohamed Alioua, who is AS FAR’s head coach.
Also, on the list is Morocco national team head coach Reynold Pedros, Randy Waldrum (Nigeria), Moussa Cisse (Senegal), Desiree Ellis (South Africa), and Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Jerry Tshabalala.
Speaking, Twiga Stars head coach Bakari Shime said Tanzania deserved to enter all the categories of the CAF awards due to their outstanding performance.
“When you look at the club level, JKT Queens are a young team, but in the African club competitions, they have shown competitiveness as technical and tactical evaluation has placed them among the teams that performed well, so it was clear that the coach and his players had a great chance to be nominated for the awards,” he said.
