Goal.com: Salah's exclusion from African Player of the Year nominations sparks controversy

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday announced the nominees for the 2026 African Player of the Year award, and the list has raised several questions.

Goal.com reports that the number of Moroccan nominees is particularly noteworthy. Three players made the list: Paris Saint-Germain's Hakimi, Real Madrid's Brahim, and Bayern Munich's Ismael Saibari.

The Moroccans face strong competition from Senegal, which also has three nominees: Crystal Palace's Sarr, Villarreal's Pape Gueye, and Al Nassr's Mane.

The list also includes Manchester United's Amad Diallo, Newcastle United's Yoane Wissa, Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, and South Africa's Teboho Mokoena, who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns.

However, the omission of Egypt's Salah has sparked fierce debate, especially on social media, where observers are split between those who support the decision and those who oppose it.

Those questioning Salah's exclusion point out that players such as Mamelodi Sundowns' Teboho Mokoena are on the list, even though they play in a domestic league that is not considered Africa's strongest.

Teboho Mokoena was selected after Mamelodi Sundowns won the CAF Champions League, and he also represented South Africa at the World Cup, where he scored one goal.

As for Salah, despite an inconsistent season at Liverpool, he led Egypt to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals and, for the first time in the country's history, to the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. Had Egypt not become complacent after taking a 2-0 lead against Argentina, they could have reached the quarter-finals for the first time.

At Trabzonspor, Salah is in excellent form and has become one of the most talked-about stars in the Turkish league this season.

Nevertheless, some still believe that, given his performances at Liverpool and the sharp decline in his statistics compared with previous years, he does not deserve a place on the list.

So, is Salah's exclusion justified, or should he at least have been included, even if he is far from being a contender for the award?

It is worth noting that the 2026 CAF Awards ceremony will be held next week, in Lagos, Nigeria. Many of Africa's top football stars, coaches, and representatives of various associations and clubs will attend.