Africa: CAF Awards - Osimhen, Lookman Missing As Nigeria Gets Zero Nominations in Men's Categories
The Confederation of African Football has released its nominations for the 2024 CAF Awards, and Nigeria is nowhere to be found. Not a single Nigerian player, goalkeeper, coach, club, or national team earned a spot across any of the seven men's categories. For a football nation that has historically punched loud on the continental stage, the silence this cycle is striking.
Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are two of the most talked-about African footballers of the past year, yet neither received a nomination. Osimhen clinched the Serie A title with Napoli in 2023 and has remained a dominant striker in European football. Lookman had a standout season at Atalanta, including a memorable UEFA Europa League final performance. Their absence from the CAF list has caught fans and pundits off guard.
The snub extends beyond individual players. No Nigerian club and no iteration of the Super Eagles made the cut in any team-based category either. That is a clean sweep of exclusion for a country that sent its senior men's team to the Africa Cup of Nations final earlier this year.
Whether this reflects shifting power dynamics in African football or a gap in how performances are being evaluated, the conversation is already loud. Nigerian football lovers will be watching closely to see who takes the hardware this year and what it means for the country's standing on the continental stage.
Originally published by AllAfrica.