2018 CAFA WOMEN CATEGORY HIGHLIGHT

THE CONFEDERATION OF AFRICAN FOOTBALL AWARDS HELD  TUESDAY 8TH JANUARY 2018 AND HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WOMEN CATEGORIES

The Super Falcons of Nigeria have been named the African Women’s Team of the Year at the 2018 CAF Awards while other Nigerian nominees lost out on the big night. 
Nigeria beat the likes of Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and South Africa to win the award for the fourth time since its inception in 2010. 
The win comes after the Super Falcons conquered Africa once again to win the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) title for a ninth time. 
The Super Falcons were the only Nigerian winners of the 2018 CAF Awards that held at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Center in the Senegalese capital of Dakar.
Super Falcons coach Thomas Dennerby lost out on the Women’s Coach of the Year to Desiree Ellis of South Africa who led the Bafana Bafana to the final of the AWCON 2018 where they lost on penalties to Nigeria.  
A Nigerian player was not named in Africa’s Best XI of 2018 while two Nigerian stars Asisat Oshoala and Francisca Ordega were beaten in the Women’s Player of the Year category by Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana. 

A BRIEF INFO ON OUR CAF WOMEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Thembi Kgatlana
Personal information
Full name Thembi Kgatlana
Date of birth 2 May 1996 (age 22)
Place of birth South Africa
Height 1.56 m (5 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing position:  Striker
Club information: Current team -Houston Dash
Number:  11
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
University of the Western Cape
2018– Houston Dash 16 (2)
National team
2016– South Africa 8 (0)
 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 September 2018
Thembi Kgatlana is a South African football forward. She plays for Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League and is a member of the South African national team and represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations where she won the player of the tournament and was the highest goal scorer.
Honours:
Africa Women Cup of Nations Best player and top-scorer 2018
Cyprus Cup Best player 2018
African Women's Footballer of the Year 2018

African Women's Coach of the Year

Desiree Ellis is African Women’s Coach of the Year 2018 after leading the Bafana Bafana of South Africa to the final of the 2018 Africa Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON)
BRIEF INFO ON OUR CAF WOMEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Ellis grew up in Salt River in the 1970s. Stayed at her Grandmother's place after school as both her parents,father Ernest, (d. 1989) and mother Natalie worked during the day. There were no women’s clubs back then and she played soccer with boys and her cousins. After school she’d drop her school bag, change her clothes and run outside to her waiting teammates.Her father often threatened to send her to school barefoot because she'd ruin her shoes while playing soccer.Ellis eventually found another women's club,(Athlone Celtic was the first club she played for) Spurs Ladies while she still worked at a butchery in Lansdowne mixing spices. She once left town with the club over a weekend, promising her employers that she'd return in time for work but the vehicle the team was travelling in broke down on the way home, making her fail to arrive on time. Consequently, Ellis got fired.Ellis went for trials for the national team and passed and would feature in the team's first international match. She played against Swaziland at the remarkable age of 30 on 30 May 1993 winning 14–0. Ellis scored a hat-trick with two other players. During the 1995 World Cup qualifiers, South Africa beat Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola on aggregate, 10–1, 11–5 and 6–4 but were halted by Nigeria beating them 11–2. When South Africa hosted the 2000 African Women's Championship, she captained the side to a runners-up finish. In 2000, Ellis was nominated alongside Mercy Akide and Florence Omagbemi for African Woman Footballer of the Year.Ellis was given recognition for her services to soccer in the same year when she received a Silver Presidential Sports Award. She also led the team to 2002 Cosafa Cup victory. In her 32 caps for South Africa she won 23 matches, lost just seven and drew two. She retired from soccer in April 2002 at the age of 38
Awards
Mobil Achievement Award by WP Sportswriters: 1980
Safa Women's Inter-provincials: 1986, 1989, 1992
Foschini Cape Woman Football Player of the Year: 1989, 1993
WP Player of the Year: 1983, 1993
Sanlam Sports Star of the Month (November): 2000
Safa Special Recognition Gold Award: 2001
Presidential Sports Silver Award: 2001
Mandisa Shiceka Role Model Award by ANC Youth League: 2001
Reference  : www.wikipedia.org



NESSA BENARD✨💖

IG : nessa_benard
TWITTER : nessa_benard
FB : Vanessa Dike