Two Super Falcons stars, Chiamaka Nnadozie and Rasheedat Ajibade, have earned nominations for the 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year award.

The recognition follows their outstanding performances for both club and country between January and October, stamping their places among Africa’s best talents in the women’s category.

For the first time in years, reigning champion Asisat Oshoala, a multiple-time winner of the prestigious award, has missed out on a nomination.

The former Barcelona Femeni forward, who claimed the title last year, has been a dominant figure in the category since 2022.

Nigeria’s standout goalkeeper, Nnadozie, has been in phenomenal form. She played a crucial role for the Super Falcons during the 2024 Olympic qualifiers and the main tournament, earning her a chance to win the Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second consecutive time.Nigerian football memorabilia

Her heroics also extended to her club, Paris FC, where she helped the French side reach the group stage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Ajibade, on the other hand, has been a pivotal figure for Atlético Madrid and the Super Falcons. The forward was instrumental in securing Nigeria’s qualification for the 2024 Olympics after a 16-year absence.

At her club, she delivered consistently, winning Player of the Month awards in March and September, which further reveal her impact.Nigerian football memorabilia

The 2024 CAF Awards ceremony will take place on December 16 in Morocco, where Africa’s finest footballers will be celebrated.

Nnadozie and Ajibade will face tough competition from other nominees in the Women’s Player of the Year category, including:

Sandrine Niyonkuru (Burundi / FC Masar)
Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi / Olympique Lyonnais)
Temwa Chawinga (Malawi / Kansas City)
Sanaa Mssoudy (Morocco / AS FAR)
Jermaine Seoposenwe (South Africa / Monterrey)
Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa / Tigres UANL)
Barbara Banda (Zambia / Orlando Pride)
Racheal Kundananji (Zambia / Bay FC)

Two Nigerian coaches, Bankole Olowookere and Christopher Danjuma, have been nominated for the 2024 CAF Awards, according to Soccernet.ng

Olowookere led the Super Flamingos of Nigeria to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup held in the Dominican Republic.

His team delivered outstanding performances in the group stage, defeating New Zealand 4-1, Ecuador 4-0, and the host nation 1-0 to top their group with nine points.

Despite their impressive form, the Flamingos lost 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Nigeria was the only African team to reach the knockout stage.

Danjuma also guided the U-20 women’s team, the Falconets, to an impressive outing at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The team defeated South Korea and Venezuela in the group stage but exited in the round of 16 after losing to Japan.

Nigeria was again the only African team to progress beyond the group stage, as Cameroon, Ghana, and Morocco were all eliminated early.

Olowookere and Danjuma are among the nominees for the CAF Awards alongside other prominent coaches, including:

Hassan Balla Abdousalami (Cameroon U-20)
Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe)
Ahmed Ramadan (FC Masar)
Mildred Cheche (Kenya U-17)
Mohamed Amine Alioua (AS FAR)
Moses Adukwu (Edo Queens)
Mbayang Thiam (Aigles de la Medina)
Thinasonke Mbuli (University of the Western Cape)

President Bola Tinubu‘s Football Intervention Project has officially kicked off, marking a significant milestone in his promise to revitalize Nigerian football.

The project began with IMG, the project’s strategic partner, meeting with top executives of the NTA at their Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

IMG team and Afro Sport, the Nigeria strategic partner, will also during the week meet with top executives of NPFL, the NFF, the NSC and corporate bodies that have shown interest in the project that promises to change the fortunes of our football and make it one of the best in the world.

The NTA Headquarters will house the Production Hub so it’s important for the visitors to meet with management to discuss prospects and challenges.

During the week, the IMG executives and Afro Sport executives will also meet with private football club owners from Ikorodu City and Remo Stars, and government-owned football club representatives from Kwara United and Lobi Stars.

Apart from these corporate entities, the IMG and Afro Sport fact-finding mission will also meet with individuals and corporate entities who have shown interest in the President Tinubu Football Intervention Project.

It will be recalled that President Tinubu vowed after Super Eagles lost to host Cote d’ Ivorie in the final of the Afcon 2023 that his government will do everything possible to ensure that our sports, starting with football, will be among the best in the world while hosting the team at the Aso Rock Villa.

The President matched words with action soon after the above pronouncement with brainstorming sessions with experts in football in Nigeria, experts at CAF, FIFA and other stakeholders in the beautiful game of football.

The majority of the experts agreed that the best medicine for the moribund football industry is IMG.

Apart from the company’s phenomenal achievement with the Indian Cricket League which they turned into a multi-billion-dollar business and the English Premier League (EPL) which they have made the most successful football brand in the world, they pointed at the magic IMG did with the Afcon 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire.

CAF had engaged IMG before the championship to be the exclusive rights holder for international media rights.

At the end of the one-month football fiesta, 2023 Afcon was adjudged the most successful edition of the tournament in terms of media coverage, commercial revenues and television audiences.

IMG made Afcon more visible than ever before. The tournament achieved 1.1 billion viewers worldwide – double the figure achieved by the previous edition in Cameroon.

Argentine Football Association (AFA) the MLS, the NWSL, the Dutch Eredivisie, the NBA, British Cycling Events, and the Saudi Pro League Saudi Arabian Football Federation are some of the events IMG work with as partners.