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Last year’s 256 Footballer Of The Year (an award organized by local sports news website Football 256), Allan Okello has been left out of the 15-man shortlist released by the website on Tuesday.
Okello who won the award while playing for KCCA FC has since moved on to Algerian Ligue 1 outfit Paradou AC.
This year’s shortlist that seeks to award the best player features Mamelodi Sundowns and Cranes Captain, Denis Onyango and Ashdod defender Timothy Awanyi, who finished 4th and 5th last year make the list for a second year running while StarTimes UPL top scorer Steven Mukwala is among the newest members on the list.
The list is dominated by mostly locally-based players who make eight in number out of the 15 shortlisted.
Brilliant on the other side of the world (Diaspora), Striker Edrisa Lubega (Paide Linnameskond), and Midfielders Farouk Miya (Konyaspor) and Luwagga Kizito (Hapoel Kfar Saba) also make the list along with Tanzanian Premier League best defender, Nicholas Wakiro Wadada.
Locally, URA FC Midfielders, Shafik Kagimu and Saidi Kyeyune make the list for a second time running, while SC Villa’s Derrick Ndahiro, Kyetume’s Joel Mutakubwa, Wakiso giants’ Vianne Sekajungo, and KCCA’s Gift Ali all make the list for the first time.
Fahad Bayo, who made his Ashdod SC debut over the weekend and Mustafa Kizza, who was snapped up by USA’s Montreal Impact recently, complete the list.
Here is the 15-man shortlist for this year’s football 256 footballer of the year
- Shafik Kagimu (URA FC)
- Timothy Awanyi (FC Ashdod)
- Kizito Luwagga (Hapoel Kfabar Saba)
- Vianne Ssekajugo (Wakiso Giants)
- Joel Mutakubwa (Kyetume FC)
- Derrick Ndahiro (SC Villa)
- Dennis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Edrisa Lubega (Paide Linnameeskond)
- Fahad Bayo (Vipers SC/FC Ashdod)
- Mustafa Kizza (KCCA FC)
- Steven Mukwala (Maroons FC/URA FC)
- Farouk Miya (FC Konyaspor)
- Gift Ali (KCCA FC)
- Saidi Kyeyune (URA FC)
- Nicholas Wadada (Azam FC)
About the 256 FOTY Award.
The 256 FOTY Award recognizes the best performing Ugandan football players on both the local scene and in the diaspora for the period starting December – November every year.
The shortlist is drawn by a selected team of Uganda’s top 10 journalists. This team carefully helps to draw up nominees with the initial phase consisting of 15 players who are later reduced to ten and finally five.
Voting is done on the final five nominees via the Football256 website until November when the winner is announced.
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