Forward Sandra Nabweteme and goalkeeper Ruth Aturo are among the final nominees for the 2022/2023 East Africa Youth Awards in the Women’s Football category.
The Crested Cranes duo will face stiff competition from FIFA Referee Salima Mukansanga and Tanzania’s youngster Veronica Mapunda.
Nabweteme
Nabweteme, who scored 5 goals when Crested Cranes won the 2022 CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship, had a stellar season in Israel, scoring 10 goals and providing 13 assists in 22 games for Hapoel Petach Tikva and Maccabi Hadera.
She also featured in the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco, scoring one of Crested Cranes’ three goals in the tournament.
Aturo
Aturo played for KTP Naeist in Finland last year before joining Saudi Arabia club Al Shabab Women Football Club in February this year.
She was also the captain of Crested Cranes in the 2022 WAFCON tournament, helping the team qualify for the tournament.
Aturo is now playing for Vihiga Queens in the CAF Women’s Champions League Zonal Qualifiers.
Mapunda and Mukansanga
Mapunda, a teenager from Tanzania, scored a historic goal against Canada in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India, helping Tanzania reach the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Veronica Mapunda
Mukansanga, a Rwandan referee, made history in 2022 when she became the first female African to officiate at the FIFA World Cup.
She was the fourth official in the match between France and Australia on November 22, 2022.
Mukansanga also became the first woman to referee at the African Cup of Nations in the same year.
Salima Mukansanga
She was recognized as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022.
Men’s category
The other nominees in the men’s category of Outstanding Male Footballer are Uganda Cranes forward Allan Jolly Okello, Fiston Mayele of DR Congo, Kenya’s Michael Olunga, and Tanzania’s Mbwana Samatta and Simon Msuva.
The 2022/2023 East Africa Youth Awards will be held on August 26, 2023 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Courtesy Photos
