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.
Sports
Court orders PSG to pay Mbappe €61 million
Qatari-owned PSG did not immediately say if they intend to appeal.Lawyers for Mbappe said in a statement they “noted with satisfaction the decision given by the labour court”.
•Kylian Mbappe
A French labour court on Tuesday ordered Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to pay their former forward Kylian Mbappe up to 61 million euros ($71.8 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses.
AFP reported that Captain Mbappe, who left PSG in June 2024 to join Real Madrid, had been claiming over 260 million euros in total from his former club. PSG in turn had demanded Mbappe pay them 440 million euros.
Mbappe, 26, also claimed the Parisian club applied the wrong French legal classification to his contract, but that was rejected by the court.
The labour court said the final figure of between 60 million and 61 million euros was made up of 55 million euros in unpaid salary and around six million euros in holiday payments.
Qatari-owned PSG did not immediately say if they intend to appeal.Lawyers for Mbappe said in a statement they “noted with satisfaction the decision given by the labour court”.
“It re-establishes a simple truth — even in the professional football industry, labour laws apply to everyone,” the lawyers added in a statement.
Sports
2025 AFCON Group B Squads
Below is the group B squads in the AFCON 2025 , comprising Angola, Egypt, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Below is group B squads in the AFCON 2025 , comprising Angola, Egypt, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Angola
Goalkeepers:
Dominique (Etoile Carouge/SUI), Hugo Marques (Petro Luanda), Neblu (Primero Agosto)
Defenders:
Eddie Afonso (Petro), Pedro Bondo (Famalicao/POR), Buatu (Gil Vicente/POR), David Carmo (Real Oviedo/ESP), To Carneiro (FAR Rabat/MAR), Nurio Fortuna (Volos/GRE), Gaspar (Lecce/ITA), Clinton Mata (Lyon/FRA), Rui Modesto (Udinese/ITA)
Midfielders: Mario Balburdia (Boluspor/TUR), Fredy (Bodrumspor/TUR), Manuel Keliano (Akhmat Grozny/RUS), Maestro (Alanyaspor/TUR), Beni Mukendi (Victoria/POR), Show (Kocaelispor/TUR)
Forwards:
Chico Banza (Zamalek/EGY), Manuel Benson (Swansea/ENG), Gelson Dala (Al Wakrah/QAT), Zito Luvumbo (Cagliari/ITA), Mabululu (Al Ahly Tripoli/LBA), Milson (Crvena Zvezda/SRB), Randy Nteka (Rayo Vallecano/ESP), Mbala Nzola (Pisa/ITA), Ary Papel (Al Akhdar/LBA), Zine (AEK Athens/GRE)
Note: Some Angolans use nicknames rather than official names
Egypt
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir (both Al Ahly), Ahmed El Shenawy (Pyramids), Mohamed Sobhy (Zamalek).
Defenders:
Hossam Abdelmaguid, Ahmed Fatouh, Mohamed Ismail (all Zamalek), Ahmed Eid, Khaled Sobhy (both Al Masry), Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim (both Ahly), Ramy Rabia (Al Ain/UAE), Mohamed Hamdy (Pyramids)
Midfielders:
Emam Ashour, Marwan Attia, Trezeguet, Zizo (all Ahly), Mostafa Fathy, Mohanad Lasheen (both Pyramids), Ibrahim Adel (Al Jazira/UAE), Hamdy Fathy (Al Wakrah/QAT), Mahmoud Saber (ZED), Mohamed Shehata (Zamalek)
Forwards:
Osama Faisal (National Bank), Omar Marmoush (Manchester City/ENG), Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes/FRA), Salah Mohsen (Masry), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/ENG)
South Africa
Goalkeepers: Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates), Ricardo Goss (Siwelele), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Nkosinathi Sibisi (both Pirates), Aubrey Modiba, Khuliso Mudau (both Sundowns), Samukele Kabini (Molde/NOR), Thabang Matuludi (Polokwane City), Khulumani Ndamane (TS Galaxy), Siyabonga Ngezana (FCSB/ROM).
Midfielders:
Oswin Appollis, Thalenthe Mbatha, Sipho Mbule, Relebohile Mofokeng (all Pirates), Bathusi Aubaas, Teboho Mokoena (both Sundowns), Elias Mokwana (Al Hazem/KSA), Sphephelo Sithole (Tondela/POR)Forwards: Evidence Makgopa, Tshepang Moremi (both Pirates), Lyle Foster (Burnley/ENG), Mohau Nkota (Al Ettifaq/KSA)
Zimbabwe
Goalkeepers:
Washington Arubi (Marumo Gallants/RSA), Elvis Chipezeze (Magesi/RSA), Martin Mapisa (MWOS)
Defenders:
Sean Fusire (Sheffield Wednesday/ENG), Brendon Galloway (Plymouth Argyle/ENG), Munashe Garananga (Copenhagen/DEN), Teenage Hadebe (Cincinnati/USA), Emmanuel Jalai (Dynamos), Divine Lunga (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA), Isheanesu Mauchi (Simba Bhora), Alec Mudimu (Flint Town Utd/WAL), Godknows Murwira (Scottland), Gerald Takwara (Al Ittihad Misurata/LBA)
Midfielders: Tawanda Chirewa (Wolverhampton Wanderers/ENG), Jonah Fabisch (Erzgebirg Aue/GER), Knowledge Musona (Scottland), Marvelous Nakamba (Luton Town/ENG), Prosper Padera (SJK Seinajoki/FIN), Andy Rinomhota (Reading/ENG).
Forwards:
Bill Antonio (Mechelen/BEL), Macauley Bonne (Maldon&Tiptree/ENG), Tadiwanashe Chakuchichi (Scottland), Prince Dube (Young Africans/TAN), Tawanda Maswanhise (Motherwell/SCO), Daniel Msendami (Marumo Gallants/RSA), Washington Navaya (TelOne), Ishmael Wadi (CAPS Utd), Junior Zindoga (TS Galaxy/RSA)
Sports
Lobi Stars suspend technical adviser over club’s poor performances
The management cited poor performance as the reason for the suspension, having played six games, earned only seven points out of a possible 18, and placed sixth out of eight clubs
Lobi Stars Football Club’s Technical Adviser, Coach Bala Mohammed, was suspended today by the club Interim Management Committee.
The management cited poor performance as the reason for the suspension, having played six games, earned only seven points out of a possible 18, and placed sixth out of eight clubs
The suspension, according to a statement issued on Monday by the club’s Director of Media and Communications, Emmanuel Ujah, followed an emergency meeting of the Committee on Monday in Makurdi.
In the statement, Ujah advised the coach to immediately hand over responsibilities to the Chief Coach of the club, John Onuh.
Bala Mohammed was appointed Technical Adviser in August this year ahead of the new season of the Nigeria Nationwide League.
At the time of his appointment, he had promised to lead the team, which had been relegated from the Premier League after several seasons, back to the top-flight league.
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