Sports
CAF Awards 2024: Ademola Leads Nigeria’s Date With Destiny
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.
Jorge Messi, the father and longtime agent of football legend Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68, according to multiple reports from Argentine and international media.
The patriarch of the Messi family passed away on Friday night in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, around 10 p.m. local time. He had been receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed illness that first drew public attention during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June, when Lionel Messi appeared emotional after scoring in Argentina’s opening match.
At the time, the Messi family issued a statement confirming Jorge was under medical observation and “recovering and progressing favorably,” while urging media and the public to respect the family’s privacy after false reports of his death circulated. He was later discharged and returned to Rosario, but his condition ultimately did not improve.
Newell’s Old Boys, the club where Lionel began his youth career and of which Jorge was a recognized supporter, paid tribute on social media: “With deep sorrow and grief, Newell’s Old Boys bids farewell to Jorge Messi… Jorge was the pillar and the person who supported with vision, rigor, and affection the career of the greatest player of all time alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.”
Jorge Messi played a central role in his son’s career, accompanying him to Barcelona as a child, managing contracts, business interests, and protecting his professional path. He is survived by his wife Celia Cuccittini, sons Lionel, Rodrigo, and Matías, daughter María Sol, and several grandchildren.
As of the latest reports, the Messi family had not yet released an official statement.
Sports
Lightning kills 24-year-old Thailand footballer during match
Video footage from the match shows players running across the rain-soaked pitch when a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground near them, producing a bright flash followed by flames and smoke.
•Safwan Awae
A 24-year-old footballer,Safwan Awae has died and 12 other players were injured after lightning struck a football pitch during a match in southern Thailand.
The incident occurred on August 4, 2026, at Santiphap Stadium in Narathiwat province as a monsoon storm brought heavy rain during the game.
Video footage from the match shows players running across the rain-soaked pitch when a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground near them, producing a bright flash followed by flames and smoke.
The lightning struck Safwan Awae, who collapsed on the pitch.Spectators and others at the stadium immediately rushed onto the field in an attempt to help the player, while emergency responders were called to the scene.
Sports
Ugandan soccer star dies after assault in capital
“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.
• David Owori, SC Villa captain
Uganda international footballer David Owori, captain of one of the country’s biggest soccer clubs, has died after an assault in the capital Kampala, police said.
Owori, 28, captain of SC Villa, was critically injured by unidentified assailants in a suburb of Kampala on Tuesday, police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said.
He was found unconscious by passers-by, who took him to a nearby hospital.
He was transferred to another hospital where he was later pronounced dead, Kawala said.
“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.
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