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

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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 menโ€™s and womenโ€™s categories respectively on Monday.

The country is in line to take home seven awards.

Lookman will slug it out for the menโ€™s Player of The Year Award along with Ivory Coastโ€™s Simon Adingra and PSGโ€™s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea striker, Serhou Guirassy and South Africa goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams.

In a statement, the NFF said: โ€œAll things being equal, Nigeriaโ€™s Ademola Lookman should be crowned the African Player of The Year at Monday eveningโ€™s 2024 CAF Awards at the Palais des Congrรฉs in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.

โ€œNone 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 Womenโ€™s Player of The Year award along with Moroccoโ€™s Sanaa Mssoudy and Zambiaโ€™s Babra Banda.

The Paris FC shot-stopper is also a favourite for a back-to-back win in the Womenโ€™s Goalkeeper of The Year category.

โ€œIn the womenโ€™s category, Nigeriaโ€™s 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 Womenโ€™s Olympic Football Tournament after 16 years, was key to the Falconsโ€™ qualification for next yearโ€™s 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.