Former Cameroon head coach Denis Lavagne has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for leaving Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah off the shortlist for the 2024 African Player of the Year award.
Softfootball understands that CAF shortlisted five players for this year’s honour: Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra and Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy.
Salah’s omission from the final list has sparked debate across the football community, with many questioning why one of Africa’s most consistent performers was overlooked.
Speaking to Foot Africa, Lavagne insisted the Egypt captain deserved to be among the nominees and even backed him as the rightful winner of the award.
The French tactician praised Salah’s performances for both Liverpool and the Egyptian national team, describing him as the continent’s outstanding player.
According to Lavagne, the forward has continued to deliver at the highest level and remains Africa’s best footballer despite missing out on the final shortlist.
Salah has enjoyed another impressive campaign with Liverpool, consistently contributing goals and assists while leading the club’s attack. He has also remained a key figure for Egypt, continuing to carry the Pharaohs in international competitions.
While CAF’s shortlist features several players who enjoyed exceptional seasons, including Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman following his Europa League heroics with Atalanta, Salah’s absence has remained one of the biggest talking points ahead of the award ceremony.
The winner of the 2024 CAF African Player of the Year award will be announced later this month.
