Great discontent reigned among Moroccan fans after the announcement of the victory of Nigerian Ademola Lookman as the best player on the African continent. An injustice which adds to the long list of anomalies recorded in this event organized by CAF in recent years. This raises serious questions regarding the fairness of the criteria put in place by CAF for the granting of these distinctions.
Last year, Yassine Bounou, who had won everything at club level and with the selection, was deprived of the Ballon d’Or after being relegated to a new category, dedicated only to goalkeepers, which seems to have been cut tailor-made with the sole aim of keeping it out of the competition. Today, a new injustice strikes Achraf Hakimi. A distinction which nevertheless seemed to belong to him by right, as his world-class performances (in the A and Olympic national team and at PSG) marked the year. He who had the hope of winning this trophy among his family in Morocco, will certainly be left with a certain disappointment. But this disappointment will not fail to dissipate over the months and the exploits to which this champion, for whom the future looks very promising, has always accustomed us. In the end, and even if it was very disappointing in terms of the meager harvest of distinctions awarded to our players, as well as to our clubs, the CAF Awards 2024 ceremony, organized on Monday December 16 in Marrakech, has the main merit of having dismantled the arguments of our detractors who have been barking for years concerning Morocco’s supposed control over continental, and even international, football bodies. The other merit of this event is to have highlighted the legendary Moroccan hospitality, as well as our equally legendary know-how in terms of hospitality and quality of organization. The Kingdom’s leadership in this specialized area fortunately emerges reinvigorated.
As for the trophies, see you for the next edition where our football is already shaping up to be the biggest winner.
Local
Morocco
