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It is no longer news that the Teranga Lions of Senegal have been crowned as the latest African champions after beating the Pharaohs of Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the final of the just concluded TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Senegal overpowered the North African side after the regular 90 minutes failed to produce the winner in the highly tensed encounter that took place at Olembe Stadium on Sunday evening.
After the game, the Confederation of African Football announced the individual awards to some players that were exceptional in the course of the tournament.
However, there are three errors that I think the African Football body made in the awarding the players.
1. Best Goalkeeper Of The Tournament Award:
I think the goalkeeper that ought to have been given the award should have been the Egyptian goalkeeper Gabaski. You would agree with me that his brilliance in the tournament is what helped the Pharaohs to reach the final.
Even though he came as a late replacement for the main goalkeeper, we saw how the 30-year-old helped Egypt to beat Ivory Coast with his heroics in the penalty shootout. Against Morocco, he also made very decisive saves that kept Egypt in the game. Caf should have reward his efforts by giving him the award.
2. Absence Of Fair Played Team Of The Tournament:
I see no reason why CAF omitted this particular award that used to be given to teams that conducted themselves properly and conceded the least cautions in the course of the tournament. This award should have helped in encouraging fair player.
3. Failure To Look Beyond The Finalists For Best Player Of The Tournament:
I believe there are some players that deserve to be given the best player of the tournament even though they could not reach the final of the competition. I don’t see any special thing Sadio Mane did that earned him the best player of the competition. Somebody like Simon Moses should have been considered for the award.
