2024 CAF Awards final shortlist revealed

CAF has released the final shortlist for the various categories in the upcoming 2024 CAF Awards, with Ghana’s hopes of winning an award seemingly dashed as no Ghanaian player made the final cut in any category.

The award ceremony, slated for December 16 in Marrakech, Morocco, will celebrate the hard work and dedication of Africa’s finest footballers over the past year.

CAF Interclub Player of the Year

In the CAF Interclub Player of the Year category, RS Berkane’s Issoufo Dayo, Zamalek’s Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Mamelodi Sundowns’ goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, and Al Ahly duo Hussein El Shahat and Mostafa Shobeir will compete for the prestigious award.

Club of the Year

The Club of the Year category is stacked with some of the biggest teams on the continent. Record CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly, Zamalek, RS Berkane, Mamelodi Sundowns, and ES Tunis will vie for the title and bragging rights.

Coach of the Year

Emerse Faé, who led Ivory Coast to AFCON glory in 2023, has earned a well-deserved nomination for the Coach of the Year Award. However, he faces stiff competition from Angola’s Pedro Gonçalves, DR Congo’s Sébastien Desabre, Al Ahly’s Marcel Koller, and South Africa’s Hugo Broos.

National Team of the Year

Ivory Coast’s 2023 AFCON victory makes them the favorites in the National Team of the Year category. However, they face strong competition from DR Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan, who qualified for their first AFCON tournament since 2012.

Goalkeeper of the Year

Cameroon’s André Onana, Ivory Coast’s Yahia Fofana, Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali, Egypt’s Mostafa Shobeir, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams are all vying for the Goalkeeper of the Year award. Ronwen Williams’ podium finish at the 2024 Ballon d’Or awards positions him as the favorite.

Young Player of the Year

In the Young Player of the Year category, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and Oumar Diakité—both AFCON winners—will compete against Senegal’s Lamine Camara, Gambia’s Yankuba Minteh, and Morocco’s Eliesse Ben Seghir.

Men’s Player of the Year

The biggest award of the night will be the Men’s Player of the Year. The nominees are Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa). Ademola Lookman’s stellar 2023/2024 season with Atalanta positions him as the player most likely to dethrone Victor Osimhen as Africa’s best.

CAF stated that winners across all categories will be determined by votes from the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, head coaches and captains of member associations, as well as clubs involved in Interclub competitions. This ensures a fair and representative selection process.

Last year’s awards saw Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen crowned African Player of the Year, while Asisat Oshoala was named African Women’s Player of the Year.

FKA/BB