Nigeria’s performance at the 2025 CAF Awards has sparked debate after the release of the full voting breakdown revealed that several Nigerian voters inadvertently weakened the chances of their own top players.
Achraf Hakimi of Morocco claimed the African Footballer of the Year award, amassing 533 points, nearly equal to the combined totals of Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen. Salah finished second with 317 points, while Osimhen, despite a stellar season at Galatasaray—winning the league and cup double and finishing as top scorer—placed third with 240 points. Osimhen had previously won the award in 2023.
Hakimi’s victory was historic, making him the first Moroccan to win since 1998. The full-back enjoyed an exceptional year, winning Ligue 1 and the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and helping Morocco qualify for the 2026 World Cup unbeaten.
Voting Choices From Nigerians Spark Debate
Attention quickly shifted from Hakimi’s triumph to how some Nigerian voters cast their ballots.
Super Eagles legend Daniel Amokachi, serving as a CAF Technical Expert, placed Osimhen fifth, giving him just one point. His top picks were Hakimi, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Mohamed Salah, and Serhou Guirassy. In contrast, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle and captain William Troost-Ekong ranked Osimhen first, followed by Hakimi and Pape Matar Sarr.
This pattern of voting against Nigeria’s own nominees continued in other categories:
- Flying Eagles captain Daniel Bameyi finished 10th in the Young Men’s Player category, partly because Nigerian media voter Oluwashina Okeleji omitted him from his top five.
- Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, despite a standout season, finished eighth in the Goalkeeper of the Year vote. Both his coach and captain ranked him first, but Okeleji selected Cameroon’s Andre Onana as his top choice.
Women’s Awards See Similar Issues
The Women’s Player of the Year race was particularly contentious. Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak topped the category with 223 points, ahead of Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade (155) and Esther Okoronkwo (134).
- Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu ranked Okoronkwo first and Ajibade second, with Chebbak third.
- Morocco coach Jorge Vilda ranked Ajibade above Chebbak.
- Nigerian media representative Samuel Ahmadu, however, ranked Okoronkwo third and Ajibade fifth, giving his top votes to Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga, a move that significantly hurt Nigeria’s chances.
Other notable outcomes:
- Chiamaka Nnadozie won Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year for the third consecutive year, but Ahmadu placed her fifth, while both Madugu and Ajibade ranked her first.
- In the Women’s Young Player category, Flamingos captain Shakirat Moshood finished second behind Morocco’s Doha El Madani, again receiving only fifth place from Ahmadu.
- Even the Women’s National Team of the Year award was nearly jeopardized. Despite the Super Falcons’ WAFCON triumph, Ahmadu ranked Tanzania first and Nigeria fifth, the only judge to do so, although Nigeria still narrowly secured the award with 106 points over Morocco’s 98.
The voting patterns have reignited discussions about the need for Nigerian representatives to fully back their own candidates in continental awards, highlighting the sometimes conflicting perspectives between media, coaches, and technical experts.
