Sports

CAF Awards 2024: Ademola Leads Nigeria’s Date With Destiny

Published

2 years ago

December 16, 2024

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Atalanta forward, Ademola Lookman will lead Nigeria’s quest for honours at the CAF Awards in the Moroccan City of Marrakech.

Lookman is in pole position to be crowned the CAF Player of the Year for 2024 following a stunning campaign that saw him win the Europa League where he bagged a historic hat-trick in the final.

Last year, Lookman’s compatriots Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala scooped the men’s and women’s CAF prizes respectively.

In announcing the final shortlist for the men’s prize for this year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said it was a close call, thus their inability to prune the list to three.

That means Lookman will battle South Africa’s Ronwen Williams; Cote d’Ivoire’s Simon Adingra; Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco for Africa’s top individual football prize.

However, in Morroco on Monday, the Atalanta man is favoured to take the crown from his compatriot Osimhen.

The statistics tell it all! In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) played earlier in the year, Lookman was an inspirational figure for Nigeria, notching three goals and two assists in seven games as the Super Eagles flew to a second-place finish.

He struck a brace in the last 16 match against Cameroon before bagging the winner in the quarter-final vs Angola.

His performances in Cote d’Ivoire earned him a place in the Team of the Tournament, about two years after he switched allegiance to Nigeria from England.

Lookman followed up the AFCON outing with a historic hat-trick as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, ending the German side’s unbeaten season run and giving his team their second major crown since 1963.

So far this season, the winger has scored 11 goals and five assists in 18 games across all competitions for his Italian side.

Lookman has also been impressive for the Super Eagles after the AFCON. He was instrumental in the team’s AFCON 2025 qualification, scoring two goals in the process.

Two of his goals were ruled off in controversial conditions during that qualification series.

Nigeria’s forward #18 Ademola Lookman (C) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with Nigeria’s forward #9 Victor Osimhen (R) during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 round of 16 football match between Nigeria and Cameroon at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 27, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The 27-year-old was the only African in the Ballon d’Or shortlist this year and finished in an impressive 14th place.

Lookman won’t be the only Nigerian going for honours in Morocco. In the women’s category, the soft-spoken Chiamaka Nnadozie will hope to take the Player of the Year award – won six times by Oshoala – back home.

But she faces stiff competition in the mold of Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Moroccan Sanâa Mssoudy.Nnadozie, a key figure for French side Paris FC, helped Nigeria seal an Olympics ticket after a 16-year absence.

The Super Falcon is equally a favourite to retain the Goalkeeper of the Year gong. She is up against Andile Dlamini (South Africa) and Khadija Er-Rmichi of Morocco for that.Falconet’s Chiamaka Okwuchukwu completes Nigeria’s trio of contenders for individual prizes in the CAF Awards for 2024.

She made the final shortlist for the Young Player of the Year (women) after helping Nigeria reach the last eight of this year’s U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Okwuchukwu also featured in the Nigerian squad that got to the final of the Africa Games.For the team prizes, the Super Eagles and Falcons were nominated for the men’s and women’s teams of the year in that order.

For the former, South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire are contenders while the latter has Morocco, South Africa, Zambia, and the Cameroon U-20 side.

Edo Queens who got to the semi-final of the CAF Women’s Champions League in their debut also earned a spot in the Women’s Club of the Year category.

As the world eagerly awaits the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony, all eyes will be on Lookman to lead his home country to glory in the imperial Moroccan city of Marrakech.

Sports

NBA closes basketball academy in Africa

The NBA said the decision reflected a shift in global basketball development strategy.

Published

11 hours ago

October 1, 2026

OCHEFA

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•Basketball players train during the Legacy Summer Camp, organised by SEED Project alumnus Pape Latyr Gnigu, in Dakar, Senegal, September 30, 2026. REUTERS/Misper Apawu.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has closed its only elite training academy in Africa.

Reuters reported on Thursday that the academy , established less than a decade ago was launched in Senegal to prepare promising young African players ‌for professional leagues in the US and elsewhere.

The decision to close NBA Academy Africa, the league’s first such facility in Africa, was a blow to students and young players across the continent, two former employees said.

Michel Chikwanine, who had been the academy’s performance and lifestyle adviser, said the news discouraged African players just beginning to build confidence.

“From the moment we told them, their confidence waned, their confidence dropped,” he said.

Michael Abbott, former head of academic planning at the academy, said it showed a lack of commitment to the students.

“They ⁠weren’t invested in them as kids as much as they were invested in the business model,” he said.

In response to questions from Reuters, the NBA said the decision reflected a shift in global basketball development strategy.

It has previously closed academies in Mexico and Australia. All training will be run out of a new global academy to open soon in the United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi, it said.

In its statement, the NBA added that it is continuing to invest in African talent through other programs and that closing the academy does not signal a diminished commitment to the continent.

Sports

Messi acquires second club, CD Eldense

Messi’s entry into Eldense ownership is expected to bring increased international attention to the club as it looks to strengthen its sporting and commercial ambitions.

Published

12 hours ago

October 1, 2026

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Lionel Messi has been confirmed as the new owner of Spanish football club CD Eldense, marking the Argentine superstar’s second club ownership venture in Spain.Eldense announced the ownership change in an official statement on X on Thursday confirming that Messi has completed the acquisition of the club and will now oversee its next phase.

Eldense announced the ownership change in an official statement on X on Thursday confirming that Messi has completed the acquisition of the club and will now oversee its next phase.

The move adds Eldense to Messi’s growing football investment portfolio.

The former Barcelona and Argentina captain previously became an owner of UE Cornellà, making Eldense his second Spanish club.

Messi’s entry into Eldense ownership is expected to bring increased international attention to the club as it looks to strengthen its sporting and commercial ambitions.

Sports

Flamingos win WAFU B U-17 women’s tournament

The victory gives the Flamingos more confidence as they continue preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup taking place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7.

Published

4 days ago

September 28, 2026

OCHEFA

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Nigeria’s under-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have been confirmed winners of the 2026 WAFU B U-17 women’s tournament following a 4-0 win over Togo U-17 team on the final day of matches.

Nigeria finished the tournament with five wins from five matches, becoming the first country to win all matches in the tournament, claiming a flawless record in the second edition of the regional championship.

The Flamingos dethroned Ghana who finished second in the six-nation tournament to relinquish the title after winning the maiden tournament in 2024.

Harmony Chidera scored a brace of penalties to lead Nigeria to the big win, with further goals from Umejiaku Oluebube and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi.

Chidera netted the first penalty on 15 minutes after Adegbuyi was brought down, and repeated the task successfully on 35 minutes when Adegbuyi was brought down again.

The third goal came in the 67th minutes from Oluebube’s harmless cross from the wing that sailed into the top corner of the net, and Adegbuyi got the goal her performance deserved in the 90th minute to seal the dominant victory.

Nigeria finished with 15 points on the log, six points ahead of Ghana who played hosts Ivory Coast in their final match of the tournament.

The victory gives the Flamingos more confidence as they continue preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup taking place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7.

(Daily Trust)