Shipanga delighted with special Caf role

BRAVE Gladiators head coach Jacqueline Shipanga expressed her appreciation after being appointed to the 2016 Confederation of African Football (Caf) Awards’ setup.

Shipanga will play a crucial role in the awards process which has a newly expanded network of voting with the constitution of several electoral colleges.

Voting for the 2016 Caf Awards will have four groups of voting colleges namely, the Caf Media Committee (College 1), the Technical and Development Committee (College 2), the Panel of Experts (College 3) and the fourth electoral college being the 54 National Associations (College 4 which includes the head coaches of national A teams or national technical directors).

“This is something very special to me. Something I would cherish forever. This are continental awards and for me to be involved at this high level means so much. Will do my level best in my contribution. This goes to show the impact of our development and exposure. Thank you NFA and Caf for the trust and belief,” Shipanga told the Namibia Football Association website.

Shipanga’s administrative nous has seen her fill numerous Caf and Fifa technical roles over the years.

For her latest assignment, she will be alongside fellow southern-Africans in Mark Gleeson and Velile Mbuli on the 20-member Caf Awards Panel of Experts.

Meanwhile, the technical and development committee has 13 members including Cosafa president Suketu Patel, Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya and Khalilou Fadiga of Senegal. The Caf Media Committee is led by Ghanaian FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi.

The Glo-Caf 2016 awards Gala will be held on Thursday, 5 January 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria. Caf on Saturday released a 30-men list for the African Player of the Year award led by award holder Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Borussia Dortmund.

Itumeleng Khune(Kaizer Chiefs and South Africa), as well as Dennis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns and Uganda), his teammates Kama Billiat (Zimbabwe) and Keegan Dolly (South Africa), and William Jebor (Wydad Athletic Club and Liberia) are the African-based players on the list. Veteran Cameroonian forward Samuel Eto’o is aiming for a record fifth title, while other notable names include Ivorians Serge Aurier and Gervinho, Mehdi Benatia of Morocco and Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Among the other contenders are Leicester City and Algeria duo Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani, while Ghana’s Andre Ayew has made the cut despite being sidelined since August with a thigh injury.

There are a number of additional names from the English Premier League, including Manchester United’s Eric Bailly (Ivory Coast), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal and Egypt), Victor Wanyama (Tottenham and Kenya), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea and Nigeria), Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City and Nigeria), Ahmed Musa (Leicester and Nigeria), Yannick Bolasie (Everton and Democratic Republic of Congo), Sadio Mane (Liveprool and Senegal) and Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland and Tunisia).