Denis Onyango makes it to 2018 Africa player of the year list

Uganda Cranes line-up. MONITOR/FILE PHOTO

The journey towards the coronation of best performers for the CAF Awards 2018 gathers momentum with the announcement of the shortlists for the various categories today.

The shortlisted nominees were decided by votes from the members of the CAF Technical & Development Committee.

The final phase will involve votes from CAF Media Experts, Legends, Coaches of the quarter-finalists of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, and Coaches & Captains of the 54 Member Associations.

The Awards Gala, to honour footballers and officials who distinguished themselves during the year under review, will be held on Tuesday, 8 January 2019 in Dakar, Senegal.

African awards short lists
The short lists for the 2018 Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards were announced Friday:

Player of the Year
Alex Iwobi (Nigeria, Arsenal/ENG), Andre Onana (Cameroon, Ajax/NED), Anis Badri (Tunisia, Esperance), Denis Onyango (Uganda, Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA), Mehdi Benatia (Morocco, Juventus/ITA), Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool/ENG), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon,Arsenal/ENG), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Manchester City/ENG), Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool/ENG), Walid Soliman (Egypt, Al Ahly)

Women's Player of the Year
Abdulai Mukarama (Ghana), Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria), Bassira Toure (Mali), Chrestinah Kgatlana (South Africa), Elizabeth Addo (Ghana), Francisca Ordega (Nigeria), Gabrielle Onguene (Cameroon), Janine van Wyk (South Africa), Onome Ebi (Nigeria), Raissa Feudjio (Cameroon), Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi)

Youth Player of the Year
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Franck Kessie (Ivory Coast), Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria)

Coach of the Year
Aliou Cisse (Senegal), Herve Renard (Morocco), Moine Chaabani (Esperance/TUN)
Women's Coach of the Year
Desiree Ellis (South Africa), Joseph Ndoko (Cameroon), Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)

National Team of the Year
Madagascar, Mauritania, Uganda
Women's National Team of the Year
Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa