This week's Confederation of African Football Awards in Egypt brought the curtain down on another 12-month cycle in the African game, with Sadio Mane, Asisat Oshoala and Achraf Hakimi foremost among those honoured.

While the ceremony represents an opportunity for African football to look back over the previous 12 months and take stock, it's also an ideal occasion to look forward and predict how the next year will look. Here are seven predictions for the next 12 months of African football.

Naby Keita...

Former Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates footballer Marc Batchelor was shot dead outside his home in Johannesburg on Monday, police have confirmed.

The 49-year-old striker, who also played for Mamelodi Sundowns, was shot in his car. Another person in the vehicle was unharmed in the incident.

"He was attacked by two men who were driving a motorbike," a police spokesman told the South African Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday.

"He was about to drive into his premises. The suspects shot several times...

Melbourne City midfielder Kearyn Baccus has departed the A-League club to return to his native South Africa.

Baccus, who also had stints at Perth Glory and Western Sydney, is moving to South African Premier Division giants the Kaizer Chiefs.

- Bayern Munich sign New Zealand star Singh

The 27-year-old, who was born in Durban, played 27 A-League games last season for City after joining the club from the Wanderers.

"We are awaiting the arrival of Kearyn Baccus from Melbourne City in Australia,"...

Cape Town City FC coach Benni McCarthy has all but accused Kaizer Chiefs of trying to hurt his players in their midweek Absa Premiership clash this week, after Teenage Hadebe leveled a crunching tackle on Siphelele Mthembu.

The Chiefs defender won the ball cleanly but his follow through left Mthembu injured, and he had to leave the game in the ninth minute. McCarthy, speaking to the media, felt the Zimbabwean tackler should have pulled back after winning the ball.

The former Bafana Banana striker...

New Kaizer Chiefs signing Reeve Frosler says he is looking forward to playing for a club big as Amakhosi, and is keen to add trophies to the club's cabinet in the wake of his Bidvest Wits exit.

Frosler signed with Chiefs this week after turning down a new deal at Wits at the start of the Absa Premiership season, and will be hopeful that a new team will allow him to make his case for a Bafana Bafana call up heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 21-year-old defender, who has played for South Africa...