Ghizlane Chebbak Shortlisted for 2022 CAF ‘Player of the Year’ Award

Rabat – Moroccan international Ghizlane Chebbak was featured in the final list of female African footballers nominated for the “Player of the Year” award of the 2022 CAF Awards.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unveiled the list of the shortlisted players in the women’s category on Thursday, July 14.

The 31-year-old Chebbak is competing against nine other renowned players, including Cameroon’s Ajara Nchout Njoya, Ghana’s Evelyn Badu, and Ghana’s Doris Boaduwaa.

The “Player of the Year” category also features Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, Zambia’s Grace Chanda, and four footballers from South Africa: Andile Dlamini, Bambanani Mbane, Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana, and Refiloe Jane.

The winner will be announced at the prestigious award ceremony in Morocco’s capital Rabat on July 21.

The winners of each category will be decided by a voting panel made up of CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, as well as head coaches and captains of member associations and clubs that played in the group stage of the Interclub competitions in the 2021-22 season.

Chebbak is also nominated for a second title of the “Interclub Player of the Year,” alongside Sanaa Mssoudy and Fatima Tagnaout. All three players are members of the Moroccan football club AS FAR.

The club itself is running for the title of the “Women’s Club of the Year” Award, alongside five other nominees.
Meanwhile, their fellow teammate Yasmine Zouhir competes for the title of best “Young Player of the Year.”

Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses coach Reynald Pedros is featured on the “Coach of the Year” category, alongside his counterparts from Botswana, Tunisia, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Senegal, among others.

The 10 coaches competing in this category were chosen after considering the matches of the group stage of the TotalEnergies Morocco 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Atlas Lionesses have shown outstanding performances in recent months, earning praise and support from football fans in Morocco and beyond.

The national team qualified for the Women’s World Cup for the first time after beating Botswana during the quarter finals of the 2022 WAFCON.

“I want to revive my father’s name in the football field”

Born in 1991 to an athletic family, Ghizlane’s father Larbi Chebbak highly contributed to Moroccan football before passing away in 2020 at the age of 73.

The deceased had played for several national clubs and the National Team on several occasions, contributing to Morocco’s historic victory in the African Cup of Nations in 1976.

Since a young age, Ghizlane has been following in the steps of her dad, whom she considered a role model, and has sought to revive his name again in the national football scene.

Ghizlane repeatedly recalled how her father was supportive of her career, as he allowed her to play football in the alleys of Casablanca with her neighbors, enabling her to explore her potential and love for football.

“My father was very supportive of me from a very young age. He saw in me a talented player who could become a footballer in the future,” Ghizlane said in an interview at the ‘Atlas Lionesses: Hear Them Roar!’ documentary.

Whereas many Moroccan families might oppose their daughters working in a male-dominated field – such as football – Ghizlane recalls Larbi as a passionate father who took her hand and encouraged her to fulfill her dream.

After years of experience internationally, Gizlane settled in Morocco to join AS FAR, with whom she lifted the trophy of the Moroccan Women’s Football Championship earlier this year, and won the title of top scorer of the Moroccan League.

As there are few women’s football teams in Morocco, Chebbak’s family struggled to find the right club for their daughter to join, leading them to enroll her in a male team.

Commenting on her experience playing with a men’s team, the stiker said it has “allowed me to deepen my understanding of football. I was able to understand the role of the player in the team and during the games, and how I can play well in different positions on the field.”

As time went by, however, Ghizlane began to discover more women’s football teams in Morocco, although they unfortunately had not yet received the recognition they deserved.

Ghizlane said she felt a great pride when she was called up to the national team, scoring more than 20 goals with them since her debut.

“But the greatest happiness was for my mother and father who were tired of people meditating on my football practice. I was finally able to make them happy after sharing their concerns with me and after helping me financially and morally to achieve my goals,” she added.

The 31-year-old striker strongly believes that the women’s national team is on the right path, expressing great optimism in their performances and sporting abilities.