The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has named Uganda Cranes’ duo Dennis Onyango and Geoffrey Sserunkuuma among 30 finalists for the 2017 CAF African Player of the Year Award based in Africa.
Onyango is the current holder of the accolade and has been consistent for both the national team and his club Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
The Cranes captain was also nominated in the African Player of the year and will face Senegal and Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who won the award in 2015 and Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool) among the 30 nominees for the top accolade.
Meanwhile, Sserunkuma’s performance while at KCCA FC in both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, scoring 6 goals in Caf competitions and finishing with 21 goals as the top scorer in the Azam Uganda Premier League, earned him the nomination.
According to CAF, the winner would be decided by votes from the Head Coaches/Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF, members of the CAF Technical and Development Committee and a panel of Media Experts.
The Awards Gala will be held on Thursday, January 4, 2018 in Accra, Ghana.
The full list of nominees for African Player of the Year – Based in Africa:
- Achraf Bencharki (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
- Ahmed Fathi (Egypt & Al Ahly)
- Alkhaly Bangoura (Guinea & Etoile du Sahel)
- Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)
- Aristide Bance (Burkina Faso & Al Masry)
- Ayman Majid (Morocco & FUS Rabat)
- Aymen Mathlouthi (Tunisia & Etoile du Sahel)
- Ben Malango (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)
- Dean Furman (South Africa & Supersport United)
- Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Elsamani Saadeldin (Sudan & Al Merreikh)
- Fackson Kapumbu (Zambia & Zesco)
- Fawzi Chaouchi (Algeria & MC Alger)
- Geoffrey Serunkuma (Uganda & KCCA)
- Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand & Supersport)
- Junior Ajayi (Nigeria & Al Ahly)
- Karim Aouadhi (Tunisia & CS Sfaxien)
- Mohamed Meftah (Algeria & USM Alger)
- Mohamed Ounnajem (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
- Muaid Ellafi (Libya & Ahly Tripoli)
- Nasr Eldin Ahmed (Sudan & Hilal Obeid)
- Oussama Darfalou (Algeria & USM Alger)
- Percy Tau (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Sabelo Ndzinisa (Swaziland & Mbabane Swallows)
- Saber Khalifa (Tunisia & Club Africain)
- Saladin Said (Ethiopia & Saint George)
- Sylvain Gbohouo (Cote d’Ivoire & TP Mazembe)
- Tady Etekiama (DR Congo & AS Vita)
- Taha Yassine Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek)
