The Nomination of Rahimi and Hakimi for the “Best African Player” Award… While Salah is Absent

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the list of nominees for the men’s categories at the 2024 CAF Awards. The awards ceremony will take place on Monday, December 16, 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco.

The 2024 CAF Awards cover the period from January 2024 to October 2024. Ten players have been selected to compete for the CAF Award for Best African Player of the Year. The list for the CAF Award for Best Player in Clubs also includes 10 players.

Among the nominated names are Algerian Amine Gouiri of Rennes (France), Edmond Tapsoba from Burkina Faso of Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Ivorian Simon Adingra of Brighton (England), Congolese Chancel Mbemba of Olympique Marseille (France), Guinean Serhou Guirassy of Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Moroccan Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain (France), Moroccan Sofiane Rahimi of Al Ain (UAE), Nigerian Ademola Lookman of Atalanta (Italy), Nigerian William Troost-Ekong of Al Khaleej (Saudi Arabia), and South African Ronwen Williams of Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa). Last year, Moroccan Achraf Hakimi was a finalist but lost the award to Nigerian Victor Osimhen.

Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s forward, is notably absent from the current list. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has been nominated in all three categories: Player of the Year, Best Goalkeeper, and Best Player in Clubs.

CAF also announced the list of nominees for the Best Player “Inside Africa” award, which includes three Egyptian players, two Tunisian players, and one Algerian player. The list includes Egyptian Al Ahly duo Hussein El Shahat and Mustafa Shobeir, as well as Zamalek’s Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Algerian Osama Ben Bouzid of USM Alger, Tunisian duo from Esperance, Aman Allah Mhamesh and Yassine Meriah, South African Ronwen Williams of Mamelodi Sundowns, Burkina Faso’s Isoufou Dayo of Nahdha Berkane, Ghanaian Abdul Aziz Issah of FC Dreams, and Ghanaian John Antwi of FC Dreams.

The nominees for Best Goalkeeper in Africa include Mustafa Shobeir (Al Ahly), Osama Ben Bouzid (USM Alger), Moroccan Munir El Kajoui (Nahdha Berkane), and Tunisian Aman Allah Mhamesh (Esperance), as well as the following international goalkeepers: Cameroon’s Andre Onana (Manchester United), Ivorian Yahia Fofana (Angers), Congolese Lionel Mbaisi (Rodez AF), Malian Djigi Diara (Young Africans), Nigerian Stanley Nwabili (Chippa United), and South African Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns).

The nominees for the Best Clubs and National Teams Awards in Africa include Egypt’s Al Ahly and Zamalek, Morocco’s Nahdha Berkane, and Tunisia’s Esperance. Other club nominees are South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Angola’s Petro Atlético, Ghana’s FC Dreams, DR Congo’s TP Mazembe, Tanzania’s Simba SC, and Young Africans.

For the Best National Team award, the candidates are South Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the Best Coach category, the nominees include Swiss Marcel Koller, who has had major successes with Egypt’s Al Ahly, and Imeres Faye, who led Ivory Coast to win the Africa Cup of Nations. Other candidates include Hugo Broos (South Africa), Pedro Gonçalves (Angola), Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso), José Gomez (Zamalek), Chiquinho Conde (Mozambique), Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo), Florent Ibenge (Al Hilal Sudan), and Kwasi Appiah (Sudan).