Only two Nigerians nominated for the 2023 CAF Awards

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As the excitement builds for the prestigious 2023 CAF Awards Gala set to take place on December 11, 2023, in Marrakech, Morocco, the African football community eagerly awaits the celebration of exceptional players, coaches, and teams. 

Among the nominations, only two Nigerians, Victor Osimhen and Gift Orban, have made the cut, earning recognition for their outstanding contributions to the sport.

Victor Osimhen, who had an explosive season with Napoli in Italy, is among the contenders for the coveted awards. He showcased his goal-scoring prowess by netting an impressive 31 goals in 39 matches, a remarkable feat that played a crucial role in Napoli’s triumph in the Serie A. Osimhen’s brilliance has continued into the current season, with six goals in ten appearances, underlining his consistency as a top-tier footballer.

On the other hand, Gift Orban’s nomination is a testament to his remarkable talent despite battling injuries. Last season, Orban displayed his scoring ability by bagging 20 goals in just 22 appearances for his club, KAA Gent. Even in the face of physical setbacks, Orban has managed to score seven goals in six appearances this season, further solidifying his reputation as a gifted footballer.

The preliminary list for the various award categories was assembled by a panel of CAF Technical Experts, African Football Legends, and media representatives from multiple countries. The performance of the nominees between November 2022 and September 2023 served as the evaluation period for these prestigious awards.

For the top prize, the CAF African Player of the Year, thirty exceptional players have been nominated, while the CAF Interclub Player of the Year features twenty nominees. The Coach of the Year, CAF National Team of the Year, and Club of the Year categories each have ten nominees, and a new addition to the awards lineup is the CAF African Goalkeeper of the Year, which includes separate categories for men and women. Ten players have been nominated for this novel award.

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The winners in each category will be determined through a voting panel consisting of CAF Technical Committee members, media professionals, Head Coaches, Captains of Member Associations, and clubs involved in the group stages of the Interclub competitions.

While the nominations for the Women’s categories are yet to be revealed, the last edition of the CAF Awards Gala, which took place in July 2022 in Rabat, Morocco, saw Sadio Mane of Senegal crowned as the CAF African Player of the Year, and Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala securing her fifth CAF African Women’s Player of the Year title.

The complete list of nominees in various award categories is as follows (in alphabetical order by Member Association):

Player of the Year (Men):

1. Ramy Bensebaini (Algeria and Borussia Dortmund)
2. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria and Al Ahli)
3. Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso and Bayer Leverkusen)
4. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon and SSC Napoli)
5. Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon and Besiktas)
6. Ibrahima Sangare (Cote d’Ivoire and Nottingham Forest)
7. Seko Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire and Al Nassr)
8. Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo and Olympique Marseille)
9. Fiston Mayele (DR Congo and Pyramids)
10. Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (Egypt and Ahly)
11. Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt and Al Ahly)
12. Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
13. Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool)
14. Mohammed Kudus (Ghana and West Ham United)
15. Thomas Partey (Ghana and Arsenal)
16. Serhou Guirassy (Guinea and VfB Stuttgart)
17. Yves Bissouma (Mali and Tottenham Hotspur)
18. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain)
19. Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco and Olympique Marseille)
20. Hakim Ziyech (Morocco and Galatasaray)
21. Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco and Manchester United)
22. Yahya Jabrane (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
23. Yassine Bounou (Morocco and Al Hilal)
24. Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco and Sevilla)
25. Peter Shalulile (Namibia and Mamelodi Sundowns)
26. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria and SSC Napoli)
27. Sadio Mane (Senegal and Al Nassr)
28. Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal and Tottenham Hotspur)
29. Percy Tau (South Africa and Al Ahly)
30. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Tunisia and Ferencvaros)

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Goalkeeper of the Year (Men):

1. Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
2. Yassine Bounou (Morocco & Al Hilal)
3. Andre Onana (Cameroon and Manchester United)
4. Ronwen Williams (South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns)
5. Edouard Mendy (Senegal and Al Ahli)
6. Oussama Benbot (Algeria and USM Alger)
7. Youssef El Motie (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
8. Djigui Diarra (Mali and Young Africans)
9. Pape Mamadou Sy (Senegal and Generation Foot)
10. Landing Badji (Senegal and AS Pikine)

Young Player of the Year (Men)

1.     Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso and Bournemouth)
2.     Souleymane Alio (Burkina Faso and New Stars)
3.     Ernest Nuamah (Ghana & Olympique Lyonnais)
4.     Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Morocco and Betis)
5.     Bilal El Khannous (Morocco and Genk)
6.     Gift Orban (Nigeria and KAA Gent)
7.     Lamine Camara (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz)
8.     Pape Amadou Diallo (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz)
9.     Pape Demba Diop (Senegal and Zulte Waregem)
10. Amara Diouf (Senegal and Generation Foot)

Interclub Player of the Year (Men):

1. Aymen Mahious (Algeria and USM Alger/Yverdon-Sport)
2. Oussama Benbot (Algeria and USM Alger)
3. Zineddine Belaid (Algeria and USM Alger)
4. Fiston Mayele (DR Congo and Young Africans/Pyramids)
5. Makabi Lilepo (DR Congo and Al Hilal/Valenciennes)
6. Hussein El Shahat (Egypt and Al Ahly)
7. Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (Egypt and Ahly)
8. Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt and Al Ahly)
9. Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
10. Mostafa Fathi (Egypt and Pyramids)
11. Djigui Diarra (Mali and Young Africans)
12. Yahia Attiyat Allah (Morocco and Wydad Club Athletic)
13. Yahya Jabrane (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
14. Youssef El Motie (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
15. Peter Shalulile (Namibia and Mamelodi Sundowns)
16. Percy Tau (South Africa and Al Ahly)
17. Ranga Chivaviro (South Africa and Marumo Gallants/Kaizer Chiefs)
18. Ronwen Williams (South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns)
19. Ali Maaloul (Tunisia and Al Ahly)
20. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane