Troost-Ekong Excluded As CAF Names Final Shortlist for Player of the Year Award

• The 2024 edition of the Confederation of African Football Awards is fast heralding the footballing circles
• The African football governing body had initially published a shortlist of 10 players for the Men’s POTY category
• CAF has recently trimmed down its shortlist to five players for the highly coveted Men’s POTY award

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has found itself in the spotlight following the announcement of its final shortlist for the Men’s Player of the Year award.

The African football governing body, which had initially courted controversy for its initial 10-player shortlist for the prestigious award—featuring a flurry of elite African players, including Victor Boniface and Victor Osimhen, who missed out—recently trimmed its shortlist to a final five.

The initial shortlist featured several standout African talents, including Amine Gouiri (Algeria/Rennes), Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso/Bayer Leverkusen), Simon Adingra (Côte d’Ivoire/Brighton & Hove Albion), Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo/Olympique de Marseille), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain), Soufiane Rahimi (Morocco/Al Ain), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria/Atalanta), William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria/Al Kholood), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns).

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The updated shortlist now features only the top five contenders for the coveted award.

CAF trims POTY shortlist

According to the recent update published by the African football governing body, five players from the top 10 have been eliminated from the list, and the shortlist has now been trimmed down to five.

The new five-player shortlist announced by CAF features Simon Adingra, Serhou Guirassy, Achraf Hakimi, Ronwen Williams, and Ademola Lookman as the final five for the Men’s Player of the Year award.

This announcement has sparked significant debate among fans on social media, with many questioning the exclusion of William Troost-Ekong. Critics argue that Troost-Ekong, who was named Player of the Tournament at the recent AFCON in Ivory Coast, deserved a spot in the final five.

Others have also expressed doubts about Simon Adingra's inclusion, questioning what the Brighton & Hove Albion winger has done to earn his place on such a prestigious shortlist.

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The CAF Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Marrakech, Morocco, on December 14.

Boniface disappointed with CAF POTY snub

Legit.ng in another report detailed that Boniface expressed disappointment that he was not nominated for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year Award.

CAF released a list of 10 nominees for the prestigious award, with Super Eagles stars Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong making the cut. Boniface, who was part of the Bayer Leverkusen squad that won the Bundesliga during the 2023/2024 season, was notably absent from the list.

Source: Legit.ng