Tanzanian international Mbwana Samatta has been nominated for the 2015 for the prestigious Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year Award for the category of players who are based in Africa.

Mbwana Samatta

Samatta, who features for TP Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is among 21 players selected by CAF for the coveted award.

The ‘Taifa Stars’ lethal striker became the first Tanzanian to be nominated for the prestigious award after impressing with the Congolese Club,
The other inclusion in the list is the Sudanese international and El Merreikh’s Bakri el Madina are the only players from the Eastern African region who made an appearance in the list of 24 players.

Samata scored six goals for the Lubumbashi based club during the last campaign of CAF Champions League. He scored against Al Alhy, Zamalek, Berekum Chelsea, Power Dynamo and El Marreikh.

Also in the list from East Africa (CECAFA zone) but in a different category is the Kenyan international Victor Wanyama, who is playing in English Premier League with Southampton FC.

Wanyama is among the nominees for the 2015 African Player of the Year, in which, 25 players made the cut for the flagship African Player of the Year category. The winners will be announced at the Glo-Caf Awards Gala scheduled for January 9th next year in Lagos, Nigeria.

Ivorian Yaya Toure is the reigning African Player of the Year and Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt for the African Player of the Year (based in Africa).

The nominees for African Player of the Year award are; Ahmed Musa (Nigeria, CSKA Moscow), (Asamoah Gyan, Ghana, Al Ain), (Dame N’Doye, Senegal, Locomotiv Moscow), Didier Drogba, Cote d’Ivoire Galatasaray), Emmanuel Emenike, Nigeria (Fenerbahce), Islam Slimani, Algeria (Sporting Lisbon) and John Mikel Obi, Nigeria (Chelsea).

Jonathan Pitroipa Burkina Faso (Stade Rennais), Kévin Constant Guinea (AC Milan), Kwadwo Asamoah, Ghana (Juventus), Luís Carlos Almada – (Platini Cape Verde), AC Omonia- Mehdi Benattia (Morocco, AS Roma), Mohamed Aboutrika, Egypt (Al Ahly), Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Basel FC), Nicolas Nkoulou, Cameroon, Marseille, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça, Cape Verde (Lille), Saladin Said, Ethiopia (Wadi Degla FC), Seydou Keita, Mali (Dalian Aerbin F.C), Sofiane Feghouli, Algeria (Valencia), Sunday Mba Nigeria (Warri Wolves), Victor Wanyama, Kenya (Southampton FC), Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria (Lille), Yao Kouassi Gervais ‘Gervinho’, Cote d’Ivoire (AS Roma) and Yaya Toure, Cote d’Ivoire, (Manchester City).

And for the African Player of the Year – Based in Africa category are : Adane Girma, Ethiopia (St George), Ahmed Fathi, Egypt, (Al Ahly), Alexis Yougouda Kada, Cameroon (Coton Sport), Ali Machani, Tunisia (CAB), Bapidi Fils Jean Jules, Cameroon- (Coton Sport), Daine Marcelle-Klate, South Africa, (Orlando Pirates), Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, Tunisia (CSS) and Getaneh Kebede, Ethiopia (Bidvest Wits).

Idrissa Kouyate, Cote d’Ivoire (CS Sfaxien), Iheb Msakni, Tunisia (Esperance), Luyanda Lennox Bacela, South Africa (Orlando Pirates), Mbwana Samatta, Tanzania (TP Mazembe), Moez Ben Cherifia, (Tunisia), Mohamed Aboutrika, Egypt (Ahly), Rainford Kalaba, Zambia, (TP Mazembe), Senzo Meyiwa, South Africa (Orlando Pirates), Soumbeila Diakite, Mali (Stade Malien), Sunday Mba, Nigeria (Warri Wolves), Tresor Mputu, DR Congo (TP Mazembe), and Waleed Soliman, Egypt (Al Ahly).

Evans Odour