France-based Malawian women’s football sensation Tabitha Chawinga says any of the five shortlisted nominees for the CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award can win it.
The Scorchers’ captain was reacting to the list that has been trimmed to five from 10 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which was released on Wednesday.
Apart from Tabitha and her US-based sister Temwa, the shortlist also includes Zambian Barbara Banda , Sanaa Mmsoudy of Morocco and Nigerian Chiamaka Nnadpzie.
In an interview yesterday, the Tabitha said: “It’s a tight call as all the five deserve to win, but at the end of day, there can only be one winner.
“Just being among the five is an honour on its own. It’s one step at a time because as I always say, God”s time is the best.”
This is the fifth time that the Olympique Lyonnaise forward has been nominated for the award currently held by Nigerian Asisat Oshoala, who was not nominated this year.
As for Temwa, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, it is the second time.
In a separate interview, National Women’s Football Association chairperson Adellaide Migogo said she fancies the Chawinga sisters’ chances this time around.
During the 2023/24 season, Tabitha won the golden boot, Players’ Player of the Season and Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in her debut French Women’s top-flight with Paris Saint Germain (PSG), whom she guided to the Coupe de France, league runners-up slot and the semi-finals in the Uefa Women’s Champions League.
On her part, Temwa has won the US National Women’s Soccer League golden boot with a record 20 goals and was voted MVP in her debut season in which she also helped her club Kansas City Current to win two cups though they missed out on the league which was won by Banda’s Orlando Pride.
The awards gala is scheduled for December 16 in Marrakech, Morocco.
The 2024 CAF Awards cover the period from January to October this year.
In its statement, CAF said: “This year’s nominees reflect the excellence in women’s football across the continent after their impressive performances at club and national team level.”
Apart from individual accolades, the awards also recognise the contributions of national teams and clubs.
The nominees for CAF Women’s National Team of the Year are Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and the Cameroon Under-20 side, while Club of the Year contenders include TP Mazembe (DR Congo), AS FAR (Morocco), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa).
The winners of each category will be determined through votes from the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, head coaches and captains of member associations as well as clubs participating in the group stages of Interclub competitions.
