The Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) has announced the nominees for its first Player of the Year (POTY) Award for men and women.
The nominees for the Men’s Player of the Year award were chosen based on their performance from January 1 to December 31, 2023.
Italy-based US Lecce and Zambia’s Lameck Banda is one of the three nominees. The 23-year-old was the first Zambian to play and score in a Serie A match. He was instrumental in Lecce’s survival in Serie A and Zambia’s qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring a brace against Lesotho on his senior debut for the Chipolopolo Boys.
The other nominee is Namibia’s Peter Shalulile who was the joint top-scorer in the South African League in the 2022/23 season and helped Mamelodi Sundowns clinch their sixth championship in a row. He also helped the club win the inaugural African Football League and led Namibia to qualification for the 2023 AFCON, scoring 25 goals in 2023 for Sundowns and another three for Namibia.
The third nominee is Bafana Bafana and Al Ahly’s Percy Tau, who won the CAF Champions League in 2023 and helped his Egyptian team win the 2022/23 domestic league title. Tau was instrumental in Bafana Bafana’s 2023 AFCON campaign, which saw them reach to the semifinals.
The winner will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in Durban on April 19.
Below are the other categories
