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SEE FULL LIST: Osimhen nominated for CAF men’s footballer of the year award

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Victor Osimhen has been nominated for the 2023 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men’s player of the year award.

Osimhen is the only Nigerian who made the 30-player list announced on the CAF website on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old will battle Mohamed Salah of Egypt, Sadio Mane of Senegal and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez for the most coveted individual prize for male footballers on the continent.

Other notable nominees include Vincent Aboubacar, Edouard Mendy, Achraf Hakimi, Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus.

Osimhen had a brilliant 2022/23 season where he led Napoli to the Serie A title last season — the club’s first in 33 years.

The Eagles striker scored 25 league goals to become the league’s highest goalscorer, setting the record as the first African footballer to achieve the feat.

He also led Nigeria to AFCON 2024 qualification, and he was the top goalscorer in the series with 10 goals.

On Monday, he was named the eighth best male footballer in the world at the Ballon d’Or ceremony. The Nigerian finished higher than any other Africans on the list.

Osimhen also became the first Nigerian to be named in the top ten of the Ballon d’Or.

Nigeria’s Gift Orban was nominated in the CAF men’s Young Player of the Year category.

The 21-year-old was in blistering form for KAA Gent in the Belgian Pro League last season. He scored 20 goals in all competitions for the club and earned himself a Super Eagles call-up.

However, Orban remains uncapped for the Eagles.

The 2023 CAF awards show will be held on December 11 in Marrakech, Morocco.

Player of the Year (Men)

Ramy Bensebaini (Algeria and Borussia Dortmund)
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria and Al Ahli)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso and Bayer Leverkusen)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon and SSC Napoli)
Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon and Besiktas)
Ibrahima Sangare (Cote d’Ivoire and Nottingham Forest)
Seko Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire and Al Nassr)
Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo and Olympique Marseille)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo and Pyramids)
Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (Egypt and Ahly)
Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool)
Mohammed Kudus (Ghana and West Ham United)
Thomas Partey (Ghana and Arsenal)
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea and VfB Stuttgart)
Yves Bissouma (Mali and Tottenham Hotspur)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain)
Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco and Olympique Marseille)
Hakim Ziyech (Morocco and Galatasaray)
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco and Manchester United)
Yahya Jabrane (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco and Al Hilal)
Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco and Sevilla)
Peter Shalulile (Namibia and Mamelodi Sundowns)
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria and SSC Napoli)
Sadio Mane (Senegal and Al Nassr)
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal and Tottenham Hotspur)
Percy Tau (South Africa and Al Ahly)
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Tunisia and Ferencvaros)
Young Player of the Year (Men)

Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso and Bournemouth)
Souleymane Alio (Burkina Faso and New Stars)
Ernest Nuamah (Ghana & Olympique Lyonnais)
Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Morocco and Betis)
Bilal El Khannous (Morocco and Genk)
Gift Orban (Nigeria and KAA Gent)
Lamine Camara (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz)
Pape Amadou Diallo (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz)
Pape Demba Diop (Senegal and Zulte Waregem)
Amara Diouf (Senegal and Generation Foot)

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West Ham appoints ex-Chelsea boss, Graham Potter, head coach

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English Premier League club, West Ham, has confirmed the appointment of former Chelsea boss, Graham Potter as its new head coach.

“West Ham United is delighted to welcome Graham Potter as the club’s new head coach. The 49-year-old joins the Hammers on a two-and-a-half-year contract and will take charge of his new team for the first time when the Irons travel to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Friday evening.

“A highly-respected and sought-after coach, Potter has been awaiting the right opportunity after leaving his last role at Chelsea in April 2023 and was the Board’s unanimous choice to take the club forward in line with its objectives and ambitions.

“Potter, whose progressive style and flexible tactical approach previously impressed at Swedish club Östersund, Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion, has a passion for a return to Premier League management and is relishing the opportunity to work with West Ham United’s talented squad of international players,” the club statement read on Thursday.

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NFF appoints Eric Chelle as Super Eagles head coach

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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Eric Chelle as the head coach of the Super Eagles.

The NFF announced the appointment of the Malian tactician in a statement on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old was recommended for the job by the NFF technical and development sub-committee on January 2. The federation’s executive committee endorsed the recommendation a few hours before the announcement.

He is the first-ever non-Nigerian African to be named the head coach of the Eagles.

Chelle was Mali’s head coach at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire. He led the team to the quarter-final, where the country lost to the hosts in extra time.

The coach’s reaction to the loss is perhaps one of the most unforgettable scenes from the tournament. He squatted and was hyperventilating. His assistants had to douse him with bottles of water to revive him.

He had only managed a slew of clubs in the lower rungs of French football, like GS Consolat, FC Martigues, and Boulogne, before he joined Mali in 2022.

During his playing days, he featured five times for the Malian senior men’s national team. He also had spells at teams like Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais in France.

Chelle’s appointment takes effect immediately, and he is responsible for guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

The Malian’s first task will be the next round of games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March. Nigeria are currently fifth in Group C of the qualifier. The team is also winless after four games.

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Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley arrested by police

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United States Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley was tasered and arrested by police following a confrontation with officers in Miami, Florida.

The 29-year-old, who won 100m bronze at last summer’s Paris Games, faces charges of battery, resisting a police officer and breach of the peace following the incident on Thursday evening.

Officers were investigating another incident when Kerley approached them with an “aggressive demeanour” over concern about his car, according to a police report.

The report said Kerley “continued to resist officers and used evasive movements to avoid being arrested” before being wrestled to the ground by four officers.

Police bodycam footage shows Kerley getting back to his feet then being tasered and falling back to the floor before being taken into custody.

Local media in Miami reported, external that on Friday Kerley made an appearance in court and he has now been released on bail.

His lawyer said the incident had been a “total misunderstanding”.

As well as his bronze in Paris, Kerley also won 100m silver at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and gold at the 2022 World Championships.

He has also won world 4x100m and 4x400m gold medals, and has recorded the sixth-fastest 100m time in history with 9.76 seconds.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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