I like it that the first consideration is now going to African players that are doing well in the national team and not those are just doing well for thier clubs and forming that they are sick when it comes to playing for the national league. The selection is accurate and for the likes of Jackson, salah, kudus and aubameyang who feels they deserve to make it to the names of those that are nominated, it should send a clear message that you have to take African football as serious as you take your club side football. You can't give in your all to your club side and fall to show your presence at the national level and expect that you will get nominated because of your club side performance. Victor Boniface is our own and we desire he gets norminated but it's still okay this way. If he steps up at the eagles in this coming AFCON then he can expect his name to get listed in the next nomination.
We need to win this men player of the year because obviously, the women player of the year is not coming to Nigeria again.
I also love that CAF used the AFCON as a criteria to be nominated for the CAF Best Player of the Year Award. I think it’s a good one, a player shouldn’t win an African award just because he won the UEFA Champions, English Premier League or some international league trophy. I believe this move by CAF will make African players be more motivated to give their all when they come home to play for their national team. It is annoying when your favorite players cannot replicate their club football performances in their national teams.
Yeah, it was interesting to see that CAF made such decisions by using AFCON as one major criteria for nomination, at least it would teach those big boys who only focus on their club side and refuse to put more effort in participating for their club side than their National team just so they'll win the African best player, the club side is mostly European based and shouldn't be a major criteria for the best player of a competition held in Africa by CAF, maybe they've done that in the past but this new development by CAF is a very good and welcomed and I think you're right to say that it would make many African players in various clubs abroad to sit up when they come back home to participate in AFCON competition. You could imagine seeing players like Mo Salah, Osimhen and some other big boys leading their teams to victory their various club side but not putting much energy when it comes to their National team or even giving excuses not to participate but then wants to be nominated as the bear player in Africa, godluck to Ekong and Lookman.