Kenyans are missing from the 2024 CAF Awards men's categories, as CAF unveils its preliminary nominees, dominated by talents from Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa across various prestigious football awards.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the preliminary nominees for the various categories for the 2024 CAF Awards and Kenyans are notably absent from the men’s nominations.
A distinguished panel, composed of CAF technical experts, legends, and selected media representatives, selected the nominees based on their performances from January to October 2024 across all levels.
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While players from countries like Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia dominate the lists, Kenya’s exclusion from these prestigious awards has raised eyebrows.
The CAF Awards celebrate the best of African football, recognizing outstanding individual and team performances.
This year’s nominations are spread across several categories, including the coveted CAF African Player of the Year, CAF Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Young Player of the Year.
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Despite the impressive strides Kenyan football has made in recent years, particularly in the domestic league and the growing presence of Kenyan players abroad, no Kenyan player or coach made it to the shortlist for the men’s categories.
The 2024 CAF African Player of the Year category is fiercely contested, featuring 10 of the continent’s top talents.
Among the nominees are Amine Gouiri of Algeria, Edmond Tapsoba of Burkina Faso, Simon Adingra of Côte d'Ivoire, and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco. Hakimi, the PSG fullback, is a familiar face, having been a finalist last year, though he lost out to Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, who took the top prize.
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South Africa’s Ronwen Williams is also a standout nominee, being shortlisted in three categories: Player of the Year, CAF Goalkeeper of the Year, and CAF Interclub Player of the Year.
Despite Kenyan football being absent from the list, other African nations, particularly North and West African countries, continue to shine.
In the Goalkeeper of the Year category, some of the continent’s most skilled shot-stoppers have been recognized.
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Algeria’s Oussama Benbot, Cameroon’s Andre Onana, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns, headline the category.
The CAF Interclub Player of the Year category, which recognizes the best performers in African club competitions, also sees a blend of North, West, and Southern African talents.
The likes of Ahmed Sayed 'Zizo' of Egypt’s Zamalek, Ghana’s Abdul Aziz Issah of Dreams FC, and Tunisia’s Amanallah Memmiche of Esperance Sportive de Tunis are all in the running for this accolade.
Kenyan clubs and players, however, have been unable to break into this highly competitive category.
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In the Young Player of the Year category, CAF continues to showcase the continent’s rising stars, with players under the age of 21 being celebrated.
Among the 10 nominees are Carlos Baleba of Cameroon, Karim Konate of Côte d'Ivoire, and Morocco’s Bilal El Khannouss.
While Kenya has been excluded from the men’s nominees, South Africa, Ghana, and Egypt have strong representation across several categories.
This highlights the need for Kenyan football to elevate its presence both on the continental and international stage.
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Kenyan football has produced great talents in the past, but the competition for recognition in the CAF Awards is becoming increasingly tough, as other African nations continue to develop their footballing infrastructure and invest in youth talent.
The winners of each category will be decided through a voting process involving CAF’s Technical Committee, media professionals, and the head coaches and captains of national teams and clubs participating in Interclub competitions.