The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has revealed the list of nominees for the men’s categories at the highly anticipated CAF Awards 2024. The event, set to take place on December 16, 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco, will honor Africa’s top footballing talent across several categories.
This year’s awards will cover the period from January to October 2024. Ten players have been shortlisted for the prestigious CAF African Player of the Year, including high-profile nominees such as Amine Gouiri (Algeria/Rennes), Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso/Bayer Leverkusen), and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain). Hakimi, last year’s finalist, narrowly lost the award to Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen, who was crowned the 2023 CAF African Player of the Year.
South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams of Mamelodi Sundowns has been a standout in this year’s nominations, being listed in all three categories: CAF Player of the Year, CAF Goalkeeper of the Year, and CAF Interclub Player of the Year. Williams’ consistent performances have made him one of Africa’s top players to watch in 2024.
The CAF Interclub Player of the Year category also features a strong lineup of 10 players, including Egypt’s Mostafa Shobeir (Al Ahly) and Abdul Aziz Issah from Ghana’s Dreams FC.
In addition to individual player awards, CAF will honor the top coaches and teams across Africa. The nominees for CAF Coach of the Year include Hugo Broos of South Africa, Marcel Koller of Al Ahly, and Florent Ibenge of Al Hilal. These coaches have been recognized for their tactical brilliance and leadership in leading their teams to success in various competitions.
CAF National Team of the Year, another highly competitive category, sees countries like Nigeria, Morocco, and Cote d’Ivoire battling for top honors. The CAF Club of the Year features some of Africa’s elite clubs, such as Al Ahly (Egypt), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa).
Another exciting category is the CAF Young Player of the Year, where 10 rising stars under the age of 21, including Carlos Baleba (Cameroon/Brighton & Hove Albion) and Lamine Camara (Senegal/AS Monaco), are vying for recognition.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe, speaking on the significance of the awards, said, “These awards are a celebration of African excellence in football. They not only highlight the remarkable talents we have across the continent but also the work done by players, coaches, and teams to continue elevating African football on the global stage.”
The winners of each category will be determined by a diverse panel consisting of the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, head coaches, and captains of member associations, as well as clubs involved in CAF Interclub competitions. The list of nominees for the women’s categories will be announced in the coming weeks.
