Sport
CAF Awards 2024: NFF issues statement on Lookman, Nnadozie winning

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, is backing the duo of Ademola Lookman and Chiamaka Nnadozie, who are in the run for CAF Player of The Year awards in the menโs and womenโs categories respectively on Monday.
The country is in line to take home seven awards.
Lookman will slug it out for the menโs Player of The Year Award along with Ivory Coastโs Simon Adingra and PSGโs Achraf Hakimi, Guinea striker, Serhou Guirassy and South Africa goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams.
In a statement, the NFF said: โAll things being equal, Nigeriaโs Ademola Lookman should be crowned the African Player of The Year at Monday eveningโs 2024 CAF Awards at the Palais des Congrรฉs in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
โNone of the four other final nominees comes close. Ivorian Simon Adingra, whose remarkable second-half performance saw the Elephants overcome Nigeria in the AFCON Final in Abidjan on February 11, cannot point to such a glittering record with English Premier League club, Brighton.โ
Nnadozie is in the mix for the Womenโs Player of The Year award along with Moroccoโs Sanaa Mssoudy and Zambiaโs Babra Banda.
The Paris FC shot-stopper is also a favourite for a back-to-back win in the Womenโs Goalkeeper of The Year category.
โIn the womenโs category, Nigeriaโs Chiamaka Nnadozie is a worthy contender for the Player of The Year (won for the sixth time last year by compatriot Asisat Oshoala), and the gong will cap a remarkable year for the soft-spoken safe hands who helped Nigeria re-appear at the Womenโs Olympic Football Tournament after 16 years, was key to the Falconsโ qualification for next yearโs AFCON and drew rave reviews all around with French club, Paris FC,โ the statement added.
If both players win, it will be the first time Nigeria produce the winners of both awards for the third time โ Nwankwo Kanu and Mercy Akide-Udoh in 1999, and Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala in 2023.