The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Monday the shortlist of nominees for CAF Awards to be handed out later this month. And Sadio Mane tops the list of 10 nominees competing for the African Footballer of the Year award category.

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For the first time in three years, the event will take place at a gala in Rabat, Morocco on July 21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And the decision to switch the qualification period from the calendar year to the 2021-22 season is the reason why there has been no award for the last three years, CAF officials told Reuters.

Mane, who won the last award in 2019, will be favoured to win again after a season in which he helped Senegal to their first Africa Cup of Nations title and qualification to the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

He also had cup success with Liverpool at club level. But he has since moved to Bayern Munich.

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His former team mates Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah are also among the 10 nominees, along with Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.

Salah won the award in 2017 and 2018 and Mahrez in 2016.

Shortlist of Nominees

Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Sebastien Haller (Ivory Coast), Naby Keita (Guinea), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy (both Senegal), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon).