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Rabat – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) revealed today the finalists for the CAF Awards 2023, with the Lions of the Atlas securing their place among the elite.
Morocco features prominently — and deservedly — inclusion in the prestigious list alongside reigning African champions Senegal, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea and Gambia.
The initial list featured 10 national teams. And Morocco’s position as the top-ranked African nation in the FIFA rankings and its impressive performance at the recent Qatar 2022 World Cup are a testament to the country’s footballing resurgence.
Notably, national team coach Walid Regragui finds himself in esteemed company, sharing the nomination with Swiss tactician Marcel Koller, who clinched the African title with Egypt’s Al Ahly. Algerian Abdelhak Benchikha, winner of the CAF Cup and African Supercup with USM Alger, joins Senegal’s Aliou Cissé and Gambia’s Tom Saintfiet.
Read also: Morocco’s World Cup Legacy: The Gift of Dreaming
The spotlight also falls on Moroccan international Yassine Bounou, nominated among the top five for the coveted “Goalkeeper of the Year” award. The Atlas Lions and Al Hilal’s custodian faced stiff competition from Egyptian Mohamed El Shenawy, Cameroonian André Onana, Senegalese Edouard Mendy, and South African Ronwen Williams.
Further amplifying Morocco’s dominance, four Atlas Lions are vying for the African Ballon d’Or.
Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat, and Youssef En-Nesyri, representing clubs like Sevilla FC, Paris Saint-Germain, Fiorentina and Manchester United, are nominated for the continent’s most prestigious individual football honor.
As the football world eagerly awaits the climax of this thrilling story, the CAF Awards ceremony, scheduled for December 11 in Marrakech, promises to be a celebration of Moroccan football’s remarkable achievements over the past year.
