6 days to go to unveil the continent’s best at the CAF Awards 2024 in Marrakech on Monday December 16

* Sensational Malawian women’s football stars, sister Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga made it into the final 5 of the women’s African Player of the Year

* This is the 6th time for Tabitha to be nominated for the African player of the year award but it has eluded her

* She has been beaten to it by Nigerian Asisat Oshoala, who is the current holder of the award, leads as top winner with six accolades, two more than compatriot Perpetua Nkwocha

* Some of the greatest names in African football history have walked away with the men’s prize, including record four-time winners Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Yaya Toure (Côte d’Ivoire) and three apiece by George Weah (Liberia) and Abedi Pele (Ghana)

Maravi Express

There are just six days to go for African continent to  honour its best players, coaches and teams until we honour the continent’s best players, coaches and teams at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards 2024 in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday, December 16.

From an original list of 30 top performers in the Men’s Player of the Year category, the number has been cut to five, with a final three to be revealed this week ahead of the Awards ceremony.

But for the women’s, sensational Malawian women’s football stars, sister Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga made it into the final five alongside Zambia’s Barbara Banda, Sanna Mssoudy from Morroco and Chiamaka Nnadozie from Nigeria.

This is the 6th time for Tabitha to be nominated for the African player of the year award but it has eluded her despite some phenomenon attributes of the player in which she etched a niche in women’s football to win the Golden Boot in three of her host countries — Sweden, China and Italy.

She has been beaten to it by Nigerian Asisat Oshoala, who is the current holder of the award, leads as top winner with six accolades, two more than compatriot Perpetua Nkwocha.

Some of the greatest names in African football history have walked away with the men’s prize, including record four-time winners Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) and Yaya Toure (Côte d’Ivoire), and George Weah (Liberia) and Abedi Pele (Ghana), who have three wins each.

The Awards ceremony will be attended by football stakeholders from across the continent and beyond, as well as legendary players and some of Africa’s finest current stars.

With Morocco’s rich footballing history and vibrant culture, Marrakech is the perfect backdrop for this prestigious celebration that is a must-watch event for fans around the world.

There will be plenty of entertainment on the night as the very best in African football gather to celebrate another fantastic footballing year for the continent.

Meanwhile, Zambia striker Barbra Banda has made history by becoming the first player from Africa to be voted into the FIFPRO Women’s World XI following the unveiling of the team for 2024 yesterday.

Banda has been rewarded for her excellent form for club and country in the past 12 months, having netted 17 goals in 25 games for Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and leading them to the Shield and Championship titles in the United States.

The 24-year-old was exceptional for Pride, who were formed nine years ago but claimed their maiden trophies in 2024, in no small part to the exploits of Banda.

“It’s an extremely humbling feeling to get this honour and especially as it is my fellow players who voted,” Banda told CAFonline. “That makes it even a little more special. It’s just a great feeling to get such a huge recognition. God has truly been on my side.”

The forward also recently won the prestigious BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award having also excellent at the 2024 Olympic Games for Zambia, and became the second most expensive player in women’s football history when she transferred for a reported fee of US$740,000 from Chinese side Shanghai Shengli.

Over 7,000 women’s footballers have voted for their team of the year. The World XI is the only global football award decided exclusively by professional footballers.

The FIFPRO Women’s World XI received the most votes from their peers for their performances from August 21, 2023 to August 10, 2024 inclusive. Players must have appeared in at least 20 official matches during that period.

2024 FIFPRO Women’s World XI has:
Goalkeeper: Mary Earps (Manchester United/Paris Saint-Germain, England);

Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Barcelona/Chelsea, England), Olga Carmona (Real Madrid, Spain), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City, England)

Midfielders: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona, Spain),Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain), Keira Walsh (Barcelona, England);

Forwards: Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride, Zambia), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid, Colombia), Lauren James (Chelsea, England), Marta (Orlando Pride, Brazil).

“It’s our time as a continent,” Barbra told CAFonline when she was reminded that she was not the only player from Africa excelling in global women’s football — giving an example of the Chawinga sisters and her compatriot Racheal Kundananji.

And when asked how excited she was by the development of the women’s game on the continent, Barbra said: “It’s exciting to see the Chawinga sisters, who are my good friends, doing amazing things. And of course, Racheal, who is my sister, breaking records.

“It’s our time as a continent, we just need to invest more in women’s football because the talent out there is amazing.”

On how it feel to be honoured in the FIFPRO Women’s World XI, the Zambian striker said: “It’s an extremely humbling feeling to get this honour and especially as it is my fellow players who voted. That makes it even a little more special. It’s just a great feeling to get such a huge recognition. God has truly been on my side.”

Barbra has had an incredible debut season in the NWSL with 17 goals in 25 games for Orlando Pride and was in sensational form for Zambia at global tournaments, including two Olympic Games and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

When asked how she feels playing for the Zambian national women’s team, she said: “It is always an honor to represent my country. Putting on that jersey is something special for me and I always just try to do my best to help the team.

“⁠I think we have a good crop of players. There is a lot of effort from teams at club level to keep improving, we now have a Women’s Super League and a National Division, which is helping with competition among players.

“We have also consistently been participating in regional tournaments, such as the COSAFA Women’s Championship. The facts are many and all these little things put together is why we are now doing so well.”

For many, they came across Barbra for the first time at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup 2014, but the player started playing football at an early age, about six years old.

“I used to follow my father to the pitch and would play around with the ball — that’s how the love started. I joined Galaxy Academy in Mtendere East before moving to Bauleni and later Green Buffaloes Women’s Football Club.

“Then it’s been a rollercoaster since then, playing in Spain, China and now the United States. I got a chance to play for the Zambia Under-17 side when I was really young, around 13 years old, and went on to play at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2014.

“It’s been a bumpy road but with discipline and determination, anything is possible,” she said, adding that her ambitions for the next few years, at both club and country level, are simple — “to keep helping my club win more championships and for my country, to try and win things with them”.

“We won the COSAFA Women’s Championship [in 2022 and 2024] but a WAFCON title next year would be great. It won’t be easy because the competition is stiff, but we have to keep trying and maybe one day, who knows, we can win a World Cup or the Olympics. We have to keep dreaming big.—Content by CAFonline; editing by Maravi Express