Malawi women’s football superstars Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are among the favourites to win the 2024 Caf Women’s Footballer of the Year award following their impressive performances.
Temwa and Tabitha are on the Confederation of African Football (Caf) list of 10 nominees for the continental award.
Caf released the list on Wednesday ahead of the presentation ceremony scheduled for December 16 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Online publication ESPN reported that with the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) having not been played this year, club form could be the deciding factor for the winner of the accolade.
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The Chawinga sisters face strong competition from the Zambian duo of Barbra Banda and Rachel Kundananji, with Thembi Kgatlana and Jermaine Seoposenwe of South Africa also on the list for the top award.
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Temwa is among the favourites for the title following her impressive debut season for Kansas City Current where she has smashed several records.
“The Malawian set scoring records in her first season in the NWSL [National Women’s Soccer League]. Her 20 goals in the regular season, which saw her win the Golden Boot award, topped Sam Kerr’ 18-goal tally from 2019,’’ ESPN reported.
Temwa also set a league record of scoring in eight straight matches to become the first player to find the back of the net against all 13 teams in a single season.
She described the nomination as an honour.
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“I thank God for the nomination. It means a lot to me,’’ Temwa said.
This is her second nomination after last year’s.
Temwa’s elder sister Tabitha, who has been nominated for the sixth time, had a good season with French giants Paris Saint Germain, winning the Golden Boot award after netting 18 goals and bagging 11 assists.
She is now at another French side Olympique Lyonnais where she has already scored six goals and is the current leading goal scorer in the European country’s league.
“I am really humbled for the recognition, “Tabitha said.
She will be hoping to lift the award after missing out on the 2024 Balon d’Or where she finished 16th.
The list, which will be trimmed down to three ahead of the ceremony, also includes the Nigerian duo of Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC) and Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid).
Moroccan Sanaa Mssoudy (AS Far) and Sandrine Niyonkuru of Burundi (FC Masar) are also in the running for the accolade.
Reigning Caf Women’s Footballer of the Year, Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria has missed out on the list of nominees for the first time in a decade.
Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya praised the Chawinga sisters.
’’Being recognised among the best on the continent is a remarkable achievement. We wish them all the best as they continue to shine and inspire,’’ Haiya said.
Malawi Women’s National Football Team has also been nominated for the women’s team of the year.
The Scorchers won the 2023 Cosafa Women’s Championship after beating Zambia 2-1 in South Africa.
But they gave away the trophy after a 2-0 semifinal loss to Zambia last month.
Malawi will compete against Cameroon Under-20, Kenya U-17, Morocco, Nigeria, Nigeria U-17 and U-20, South Africa and Zambia.
