CAIRO, Dec 8 (AFP) - A total of 22 players have been nominated for the 2002 African Footballer of the Year award, the organisers said Sunday. Ibrahim Abdul Razak (St Etienne/Fra) was the only Ghanaian on the list

Officials of the Confederation of African Football will whittle the list down to three later this month and the winner will be named at a function in South Africa during April.

Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf won the award last year with Ghana defender Samuel Kuffour second and Cameroon midfielder Samuel Eto'o third. Diouf and Eto'o are in contention again.

Nominations

Burkina Faso - Moumouni Dagano (Genk/Bel)

Cameroon - Samuel Eto'o (Real Mallorca/Spa), Lauren Mayer (Arsenal/Eng), Geremi Njitap (Middlesbrough/Eng)

Democratic Republic of Congo - Tresor 'Lua Lua' Lomana (Newcastle Utd/Eng)

Egypt - Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam (Ajax Amsterdam/Ned), Ahmed Hassan (Genclerbirligi/Tur)

Ghana: Ibrahim Abdul Razak (St Etienne/Fra)

Mali - Seydou Keita (Lens/Fra)

Nigeria - Julius Aghahowa (Shakhtar Donetsk/Ukr), John Utaka (Lens/Fra)

Senegal - Salif Diao and El Hadji Diouf (Liverpool/Eng), Papa Bouba Diop (Lens/Fra), Khalilou Fadiga (Auxerre/Fra), Henri Camara (Sedan/Fra)

Sierra Leone - Paul Kapaka (Anvers/Bel)

South Africa - Benni McCarthy (Celta Vigo/Spa), Sibusiso ZumaCopenhagen/Den)

Tunisia - Selim Benachour (Paris SG/Fra), Hatem Trabelsi (Ajax Amsterdam/Ned)

Zimbabwe - Benjamin 'Benjani' Mwaruwari (Auxerre/Fra)