Christopher Danjuma: Falconets coach shortlisted for CAF coach of the year

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

The head coach of Nigeria U-20 women’s national team, Christopher Danjuma has been shortlisted for the coach of the year women ahead of this month’s CAF awards.

Danjuma, who doubled as the head coach of Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership side Nasarawa Amazons, led the Falconets to the Round of 16 of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The team won two of their four games at Colombia 2024 in a tournament expanded by FIFA from 16 to 24 teams.

In 2022, the team reached the quarter-final under his tutelage in a competition of 16 teams.

Danjuma also guided Nasarawa Amazons to the NWFL Premiership Super Six Playoffs, where Edo Queens, shortlisted for the club of the year, won the league title.

Recently, the team won the Betsy Obaseki Women’s Football Tournament (BOWFT), a pre-season tournament organized in Edo State, Nigeria, ahead of the league season.

Nasarawa Amazons defeated Edo Queens on penalties on their way to winning the title.

‘Kurungu’ as Danjuma is popularly called will battle for the award alongside four other coaches.

They are Lamia Boumehdi, who won the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League with TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of Congo), Ahmed Ramadan (FC Masar, Egypt), Mohamed Amine Alioua (AS FAR FC, Morocco), and Thinasonke Mbuli (University of Western Cape, South Africa).