The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has for the first time opened the voting process of the Footballer of The Year category to the public.

READ ALSO: Statement: Kotoko's Sadick Adams rushed to the hospital after Hearts draw

The public voting was opened on Sunday,December 24, with fans and the general public now having a major say on who wins the award.

CAF has also announced that the public will again be allowed to vote on which players make it onto the Africa Team of The Year, which consists of the continent’s Finest XI over the last 12 months.

Three players have been shortlisted for the Player of the year category, with Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Senegal’s Saido Mane and Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the way.

A statement on CAF’s official website read: “For the first time, football fans and the general public have been given the opportunity to have a say in the selection process for the African Player of the Year and the Africa’s Finest XI.

READ ALSO: Video: Watch highlights of one of Ghana's finest dribblers after joining Didier Drogba “Public voting for the two categories will be opened on Sunday, 24 December 2017.”

The statement added that “voting for Africa’s Finest XI will be done via the CAF facebook page based on a 3-4-3 tactical formation”.

Voting for all categories will end on January 2, 2018, with the 2017 CAF awards gala set to be hosted in Accra, Ghana.