The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has thrown its support behind Ademola Lookman and Chiamaka Nnadozie, who are vying for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year awards in the Men’s and Women’s categories.
In a statement titled “2024 CAF Awards: Lookman is the man, whichever way you look at it!” released on Sunday, the NFF highlighted the achievements of Lookman, an Atalanta forward, and Nnadozie, a Paris FC goalkeeper, as they compete for the prestigious honors.
“All things being equal, Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman should be crowned the African Player of the Year at Monday evening’s 2024 CAF Awards at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco,” NFF spokesperson Ademola Olajire stated.
He added, “None of the other four nominees measures up. Ivorian Simon Adingra, despite his impressive second-half display in the AFCON final against Nigeria, cannot match Lookman’s stellar record with Brighton in the English Premier League.”
Lookman and Nnadozie will both be present at the ceremony as they prepare to challenge their rivals for the awards.
However, reports suggesting that Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi could edge Lookman to the title have sparked concerns among Nigerians. Many have called on CAF to ensure a transparent voting process amid fears of favoritism toward Hakimi, who will be in his home country when the awards are presented.
