Yassine Bono: Universally Celebrated, Consistently Ignored in CAF Awards

Rabat – Critics and analysts have expressed astonishment at the names featured in the CAF Award shortlists for Goalkeeper and Player of the Year categories.

Many have pointed out that this year’s list includes players whose achievements are not as impressive as those of high-performing and supremely reliable shot-keepers who have been inexplicably overlooked.

The snub shows a troubling trend where emerging stars are prioritized over established players with a more substantial record of accomplishments.

One prominent case is Morocco’s superstar Yassine Bounou, also known as Bono, who has been repeatedly denied the recognition he deserves in previous editions of the CAF Awards.

Fans and critics alike emphasized how Bono’s consistent excellence and significant contributions should merit at least one Best African goalkeeper trophy.

While some observers argue that the inclusion of South Africa’s Ronwen Willians in the nominees for both Player and Goalkeeper of the Year categories is justified due to his pivotal role in helping his club, Sundowns, secure multiple titles, others contend that this overlooks Bounou’s superior achievements, including his contributions to making Morocco the first Arab and African team to reach the semi-finals in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The debate raises concerns about potential biases in the selection process, particularly given that CAF is led by South African president Patrice Motsepe.

This leadership dynamic led some to question whether decisions are influenced by regional favoritism, detracting from the fair assessment of talent across the continent.

“It’s clear that Bounou is one of the best goalkeepers at the international level, both in the Arab and Africa. He also achieved significant success with Sevilla, winning multiple titles with the Spanish club, and he continues to excel in the Saudi Arabian League as well,” sports consultant and analyst El Mehdi Kasoua told Morocco World News (MWN).

While Kasoua views Williams’s selection as “understandable given his performances and contributions to South Africa’s sundowns,” elevating him to a higher status than Bounou feels unfair.

“Bounou has extensive experience as a goalkeeper at all levels and his accomplishments deserve recognition,” he said.

A similar controversy erupted last December when CAF released its list of three contenders for the African Player of the Year award.

The nominees included Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Mo Salah from Egypt, and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen — with the Nigerian forward winning the continental.

Mo Salah’s inclusion and Bounou’s omission did not sit well with Moroccan football fans. Many spoke of being outraged by the governing body’s decision to overlook the Moroccan star despite his previous stellar performances for both his ex club Sevilla and currently with Moroccan national team.

Bounou earned global recognition for his exceptional play during the World Cup in Qatar 2022, where he played a pivotal role in the Atlas Lions’ historic run to the semifinals making them the first Arab and African national team to achieve such a feat.

His contributions played a crucial role in earning him several “Player of the Match” awards throughout Morocco’s remarkable World Cup journey, highlighting the importance of his impressive saves.

Beyond his World Cup performances, Bounou was nominated for the prestigious 2023 Yachine Trophy, an award that recognizes the performances of the world’s best shopkeepers.

While Bounou now plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, his consistently excellent performances with Sevilla made him one of the club’s most reliable and outstanding performers.

He consistently ranked among the best goalkeepers in Spanish and European Leagues during his time in Sevilla.

In September 2022, the goalkeeper also outranked the likes of Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois the Zamora Trophy for the 2021-2022 season, becoming the first Moroccan and Arab player to claim the prize.

His impressive record was insufficient for CAF to recognize him among the continent’s top performers.

Many critics have expressed and continue to express their discontent with CAF’s failure to honor Bounou’s heroics.

“He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and excels on the international stage, yet he remains unrecognized on his own continent,” former Moroccan athlete and former technical director at the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation Aziz Daouda told MWN, stressing that “this indicates a problem with objectivity, as these CAF lists lack some degree of objectivity.”

Daouda, now a sports consultant and analyst, stressed the persistent dissatisfaction with CAF awards shows a significant issue in how player selections are made.

Regardless of audience protests, the outcome remains unchanged, indicating a systematic problem with the process.

“What we see in these lists, which have been around for years, is nothing new; it is merely a ‘mending hearts’ movement. These lists include players from most influential African countries and feature well-known names,” Daouda concluded.