Sports
CAF Unveils Men’s Nominees For 2023 Awards [Full List]
Nominees for the men’s categories of the CAF Awards 2023, set for Dec. 11 in Marrakech, Morocco, were unveiled by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The preliminary list was compiled by a panel comprising CAF Technical Experts, African Football Legends, and media representatives from various countries, as stated on the CAF website on Wednesday.
The evaluation period for nominees’ performance spans from November 2022 to September 2023, as stated in the announcement.
The statement reads “Thirty (30) players made the cut for the top prize; CAF African Player of the Year, whilst 20 players have been nominated for the CAF Interclub Player of the Year.
“Coach of the Year, CAF National Team of the Year and Club of the Year have ten (10) nominees each just as CAF Young Player of the Year – for players under the age of 21”
In a notable first, CAF has introduced the CAF African Goalkeeper of the Year Category (Men and Women) for the upcoming prestigious event.
The newly added award aims to recognize and honor outstanding players, officials, and administrators for their contributions during the evaluation period from November 2022 to September 2023.
“It will be the first time that shot stoppers will be acknowledged for their performances, further expanding the network of winners for the annual event. 10 players have been nominated for the novel award.
“The ultimate winner of each category will be decided after votes from a voting panel.
“The panel will consist of the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, Head Coaches & Captains of Member Associations and clubs involved in the group stages of the Interclub competitions.
“The nominees for the Women’s categories will be announced in due course,”
Full List of Nominees:
Player of the Year (Men)
Ramy Bensebaini (Algeria and Borussia Dortmund)
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria and Al Ahli)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso and Bayer Leverkusen)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon and SSC Napoli)
Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon and Besiktas)
Ibrahima Sangare (Cote d’Ivoire and Nottingham Forest)
Seko Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire and Al Nassr)
Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo and Olympique Marseille)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo and Pyramids)
Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (Egypt and Ahly)
Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool)
Mohammed Kudus (Ghana and West Ham United)
Thomas Partey (Ghana and Arsenal)
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea and VfB Stuttgart)
Yves Bissouma (Mali and Tottenham Hotspur)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain)
Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco and Olympique Marseille)
Hakim Ziyech (Morocco and Galatasaray)
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco and Manchester United)
Yahya Jabrane (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco and Al Hilal)
Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco and Sevilla)
Peter Shalulile (Namibia and Mamelodi Sundowns)
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria and SSC Napoli)
Sadio Mane (Senegal and Al Nassr)
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal and Tottenham Hotspur)
Percy Tau (South Africa and Al Ahly)
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Tunisia and Ferencvaros)
Goalkeeper of the Year (Men)
Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco & Al Hilal)
Andre Onana (Cameroon and Manchester United)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns)
Edouard Mendy (Senegal and Al Ahli)
Oussama Benbot (Algeria and USM Alger)
Youssef El Motie (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Djigui Diarra (Mali and Young Africans)
Pape Mamadou Sy (Senegal and Generation Foot)
Landing Badji (Senegal and AS Pikine)
Interclub Player of the Year (Men)
Aymen Mahious (Algeria and USM Alger/Yverdon-Sport)
Oussama Benbot (Algeria and USM Alger)
Zineddine Belaid (Algeria and USM Alger)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo and Young Africans/Pyramids)
Makabi Lilepo (DR Congo and Al Hilal/Valenciennes)
Hussein El Shahat (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (Egypt and Ahly)
Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Mostafa Fathi (Egypt and Pyramids)
Djigui Diarra (Mali and Young Africans)
Yahia Attiyat Allah (Morocco and Wydad Club Athletic)
Yahya Jabrane (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Youssef El Motie (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Peter Shalulile (Namibia and Mamelodi Sundowns)
Percy Tau (South Africa and Al Ahly)
Ranga Chivaviro (South Africa and Marumo Gallants/Kaizer Chiefs)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns)
Ali Maaloul (Tunisia and Al Ahly)
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Tunisia and Esperance Sportive de Tunis /Ferencvaros)
Young Player of the Year (Men)
Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso and Bournemouth)
Souleymane Alio (Burkina Faso and New Stars)
Ernest Nuamah (Ghana & Olympique Lyonnais)
Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Morocco and Betis)
Bilal El Khannous (Morocco and Genk)
Gift Orban (Nigeria and KAA Gent)
Lamine Camara (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz)
Pape Amadou Diallo (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz)
Pape Demba Diop (Senegal and Zulte Waregem)
Amara Diouf (Senegal and Generation Foot)
Coach of the Year (Men)
Abdelhak Benchikha (USM Alger)
Marcel Koller (Al Ahly)
Juan Micha Obiang (Equatorial Guinea)
Tom Saintfiet (The Gambia)
Baciro Cande (Guinea Bissau)
Amir Abdou (Mauritania)
Walid Regragui (Morocco)
Chiquinho Conde (Mozambique)
Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
Pape Thiaw (Senegal – CHAN)
National Team of the Year (Men)
Cape Verde
The Gambia
Guinea Bissau
Equatorial Guinea
Mauritania
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Senegal
Tanzania
Club of the Year (Men)
CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
USM Alger (Algeria)
ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire)
Al Ahly (Egypt)
Raja Club Athletic (Morocco)
Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Marumo Gallants (South Africa)
Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia)
Young Africans (Tanzania).
The Belgian Football Federation has named Frenchman Rudi Garcia as the new head coach of the national team, following the sacking of Domenico Tedesco after a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign.
In a statement released on Friday, the federation confirmed the appointment of the Underworld former Napoli, Lyon, and Roma manager, who will be formally introduced to the press later in the day.
READ MORE: Nuri Sahin Fired As Borussia Dortmund Head Coach
Garcia’s task will be to rejuvenate the Red Devils after their early exit from the European Championship and underwhelming performances in the Nations League.
Belgium recently parted ways with Tedesco, who had been in charge since February 2023.
The Italian-German coach was brought in to rebuild the squad following the departure of the country’s celebrated “golden generation” under Roberto Martinez but failed to deliver the expected results.
The team now faces a critical relegation play-off against Ukraine in March, before beginning their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to North Macedonia in June.
Garcia brings a wealth of experience, having coached top European clubs such as Marseille and Lyon.
He also made his mark at Lille between 2008 and 2013, leading the French side to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double in 2011.
However, his most recent role at Napoli in 2023 ended in disappointment after just five months.
Borussia Dortmund have sacked head coach Nuri Sahin after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Bologna in Tuesday’s Champions League match, marking the club’s fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
The decision follows a string of poor performances that have left the club in 10th place in the Bundesliga, 20 points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich.
Sporting CEO Lars Ricken expressed that the club had “lost faith” in Sahin, explaining that the decision was painful but necessary.
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“We have unfortunately lost faith that we will achieve our sporting goals,” Ricken said. “We value Nuri Sahin and his work very much, we hoped for a long collaboration, but after the game in Bologna, this was unavoidable.”
Sahin, who had been promoted to head coach in the summer following his role as assistant to Edin Terzic during Dortmund’s surprise Champions League final run last season, acknowledged the disappointment.
“Unfortunately, I was not able to live up to Dortmund’s sporting ambitions at this point in time. I wish this special club all the best.”
The defeat against Bologna caps a difficult season for the club under Sahin’s stewardship.
Despite their strong showing in last season’s Champions League, where they lost to Real Madrid in the final, Dortmund have struggled in the Bundesliga and were eliminated from the German Cup by Wolfsburg.
Their away form, in particular, has been disastrous, with only four wins and nine losses in 15 matches away from the Westfalenstadion.
Dortmund’s leadership, which has historically favored former players in managerial roles, now faces the task of finding a suitable replacement for Sahin.
German media reports suggest potential successors could include Erik Ten Hag, the former Manchester United boss who has been spotted attending Dortmund games recently, or Roger Schmidt, formerly of Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen.
In the interim, U19 coach Mike Tullberg has been appointed to take charge of the first team, starting with Saturday’s home match against Werder Bremen.
The sacking of Sahin is the latest chapter in a turbulent managerial history for Dortmund since the departure of Jurgen Klopp in 2015, with the club having cycled through eight different head coaches in that time. Only Lucien Favre managed to stay longer than two years.
Sahin’s tenure as manager was a significant moment for Dortmund, as he was one of the club’s own, having come through the ranks and played over 270 games for the team, including being part of the squad that won the 2011 Bundesliga title.
However, his time at the helm of the senior team has proven to be short-lived as Dortmund now seek a new direction.
Manchester City have completed the signing of 19-year-old defender Vitor Reis from Brazilian club Palmeiras, the Premier League champions announced on Tuesday.
The Brazilian youth international joins on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported fee of £29.6 million ($36.2 million).
Reis, a right-footed centre-back, expressed his enthusiasm about joining the English giants. “I’m excited to join Manchester City, one of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Reis.
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“Everyone has seen the amazing achievements in recent seasons, and I want to make my mark as we seek more trophies. Working with Pep Guardiola is something every young player wants to do, and I know he can help me to develop into the best player I can be.”
City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, highlighted the qualities that attracted the club to Reis.
He said, “Vitor Reis is one of the most promising young defenders in the world, and we’re delighted to have been able to bring him here. He is excellent on the ball and outstanding in the air — he has all the attributes needed to be one of the best.”
The signing of Reis is City’s second addition of the January transfer window, following the arrival of Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov.
Reports indicate that the club is also pursuing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush before the window closes.
Manchester City, currently fifth in the Premier League table, have faced challenges this season due to a series of defensive injuries.
However, the team showcased their attacking strength with a dominant 6-0 victory over Ipswich on Sunday.
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