African POTY: Boniface, Salah miss out

The shortlist announcement for the African player of the year award usually draws comment but the nominations for the 2024 prize have sparked heated debate.

Atalanta and Nigeria winger, Ademola Lookman, is one of 10 contenders for the men’s award, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has received criti­cism on social media for some of the names omitted.

Lookman’s Super Eagles team-mate, Victor Boniface, and Egypt captain, Mohamed Salah, are chief among them, with Boniface ex­pressing his own frustrations on X.

Replying to a post which high­lighted his role in helping Bayer Leverku­sen to an un­beaten domestic double, the striker replied: “Rookie of the season. Team of the season. No worry I don’t play AFCON”.

Boniface, 23, missed Nigeria’s run to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ear­lier this year through injury.

Salah, meanwhile, suffered a hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations before Egypt exited in the last 16 in Cote d’Iviore.

But Salah’s fine club form for Liverpool was highlighted by website King Fut, which said: “33 goals and 18 assists for club and country and still not enough for a CAF player of the year nomination?

“Something seems amiss here.”

Also missing from the list of nominees were last year’s winner, Victor Osimhen, who had a disap­pointing campaign with Napoli be­fore moving on loan to Galatasaray in September, Real Madrid’s Morocco international, Brahim Diaz, and Senegal forward, Sadio Mane.

Form at the AFCON finals cer­tainly appears to have been a major factor in CAF’s shortlists.

Cote d’Iviore lead the nomina­tions in the national team cate­gory and Elephants manager, Emerse Fae, is in the running for coach of the year after masterminding their fairy­tale Nations Cup triumph on home soil.

The nominees for the women’s categories are yet to be announced by Caf, with the awards ceremony to be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 16 December.

CAF awards 2024 nominees – men’s categories

Player of the Year

Simon Adingra (Brighton & Hove Albion and Ivory Coast), Amine Gouiri (Rennes and Alge­ria), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund and Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain and Morocco), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta and Nigeria), Chan­cel Mbemba (Marseille and DR Congo), Soufiane Rahimi (Al Ain and Morocco), Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen and Burkina Faso), William Troost-Ekong (Al Kholood and Nigeria), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa).

Young player of the year

Abdul Aziz Issah (Barcelona B, Spain), Carlos Baleba, Yankuba Minteh (both Brighton & Hove Albion, England), Eliesse Ben Seghir, Lamine Camara (both Monaco, France), Oumar Diakite (Reims, France), El Hadji Malick Diouf (Slavia Prague, Czech Rep), Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester City, England), Karim Konate (Red Bull Salzburg, Austria), Amanallah Memmiche (Esperance, Tunisia).

Goalkeeper of the year

Oussama Benbot (USM Alger and Algeria), Djigui Diarra (Young Africans and Mali), Munir El Kajoui (RS Berkane and Morocco), Yahia Fofana (Angers and Ivory Coast), Amanallah Memmiche (Esperance and Tunisia), Lionel Mpasi (Rodez and DR Congo), Andre Onana (Manchester United and Cameroon), Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United and Nigeria), Mo­stafa Shobeir (Al Ahly and Egypt), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa).

Inter-club player of the year

John Antwi (Dreams FC, Gha­na), Abdul Aziz Issah (Barcelona B, Spain), Oussama Benbot (USM Alger, Algeria), Issoufou Dayo (RS Berkane, Morocco), Husein El Shahat, Mostafa Shobier (both Al Ahly, Egypt), Amanallah Memmi­che, Yassine Meriah (both Esper­ance, Tunisia), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), Zizo – (Zamalek, Egypt).

Club of the year

Al Ahly, Zamalek (both Egypt), Dreams FC (Ghana), Esperance (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Petro Atletico (Angola), RS Berkane (Morocco), Simba, Young Africans (both Tan­zania), TP Mazembe (DR Congo).

National team of the year

Angola, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Mo­zambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda.

Manager of the year

Kwesi Appiah (Sudan), Hugo Broos (South Africa), Chiquinho Conde (Mozambique), Sebastien Desabre (DR Congo), Emerse Fae (Ivory Coast), Jose Gomes (Zama­lek), Pedro Goncalves (Angola), Florent Ibenge (Al Hilal), Marcel Koller (Al Ahly), Brahima Traore (Burkina Faso).-BBC