No African Player Among 10 Nominees for FIFA Women’s Player Award

There are no African players among the 10 nominees for FIFA’s best women’s player of the year award.

The United States’ 34-year-old midfielder Carli Lloyd – last year’s Ballon d’Or winner – is on the list. No British player is listed for the award.

FIFA has since ended its association with the Ballon d’Or, which is still being run by France Football magazine.

Germany has three nominees who were part of the team that won gold at the Rio Olympics this summer, where Great Britain did not compete.

Britain’s four national football associations could not agree on sending a team to the Games, meaning players such as England’s Lucy Bronze – the FA’s player of the year in 2015 – were absent.
The award is one of eight prizes to be announced at the Best FIFA Football Awards in Zurich, Switzerland on January 9.

The votes of the captains and head coaches of all of the world’s national teams will make up 50 per cent of the result, with the other half split between an online public ballot and more than 200 media representatives around the world.

Former South Africa coach Vera Pauw has been shortlisted for best women’s coach, while Wales manager Chris Coleman and Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri have been nominated for FIFA’s coach of the year award.

FIFA will announce 23 candidates for the men’s best player award today.

The 10 players nominated are:
Camille Abily: Midfielder; 31; France and Lyon
Melanie Behringer: Midfielder; 30; Germany and Bayern Munich
Sara Dabritz; Midfielder, 21; Germany and Bayern Munich
Amandine Henry; Midfielder; 27; France and Portland Thorns
Saki Kumagai: Defender; 26; Japan and Lyon
Carli Lloyd; Midfielder; 34; USA and Houston Dash
Dzsenifer Marozsan; Midfielder; 24; Germany and Lyon
Marta; Forward; 34; Brazil and FC Rosengard
Lotta Schelin; Forward, 32, Sweden and FC Rosengard
Christine Sinclair; Forward; 33; Canada and Portland Thorns