Lookman and Nwabali Nominated for CAF Awards 2024
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman and goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali have been named in the final shortlist for the prestigious CAF Awards 2024, while defender William Troost-Ekong has surprisingly missed out.
After releasing an initial longlist earlier this month, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the final five nominees for each of the men’s categories. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco, on December 16.
Lookman, who enjoyed a stellar year with both club and country, leads the final shortlist for the Men’s Player of the Year Award. The Atalanta star, who was a standout performer in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), is joined by Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams.
Despite an impressive year that saw him named the AFCON 2023 MVP, Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong was notably absent from the final shortlist for the 2024 CAF Awards. Joining him on the sidelines was star forward Victor Osimhen, who had an outstanding tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations and continued to impress with Napoli last season, despite dealing with an injury-disrupted campaign.
Both players were expected to feature among the top nominees after their key performances for Nigeria and their clubs, but their omission from the prestigious list came as a surprise to many.
In the race for the Goalkeeper of the Year award, Nwabali, who played a crucial role for Nigeria during AFCON 2023, will compete against Williams once again. Also nominated are Cameroon’s Andre Onana (Manchester United), Ivory Coast’s Yahia Fofana, and Egypt’s Mostafa Shobeir.
While former Super Eagles coach José Peseiro, who led the team to AFCON 2023, was excluded from the Coach of the Year shortlist, the final list features Ivory Coast’s AFCON-winning coach Emerse Fae, Pedro Goncalves (Angola), Sebastien Desabre (DR Congo), Marcel Koller (Al Ahly), and Hugo Broos (South Africa).
Nigeria, however, remains in the running for the National Team of the Year award, alongside reigning champions Ivory Coast, DR Congo, South Africa, and Sudan.
The 2024 CAF Awards cover the period from January to October 2024, with Lookman emerging as the favorite for the Player of the Year award. The 26-year-old has been in scintillating form, scoring three goals in the 2023 AFCON and finishing the 2023/24 season with 17 goals and 10 assists for Atalanta, including a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final. He has continued his impressive form into the current season, with eight goals and five assists in 14 games.
