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Justine Madugu, Bankole Olowokere nominated for 2025 CAF Women’s Coach of the Year
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Head coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, Justine Madugu, has been nominated for the 2025 CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the nominees on Friday, with Madugu earning recognition for his remarkable achievements in leading the Super Falcons to glory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The Adamawa-born tactician guided Nigeria to their record-extending 10th WAFCON title, winning five of six matches and keeping four clean sheets in the process.
His side claimed the championship in dramatic fashion, overturning a 2-0 deficit to defeat host nation Morocco 3-2 in the final.
Madugu’s tactical brilliance and leadership have not gone unnoticed internationally, as he also earned a nomination for the 2025 Ballon d’Or Coach of the Year, becoming the first African coach to achieve that feat.
He will compete for the CAF honour alongside nine other nominees, including Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team coach, Bankole Olowokere, who guided the Flamingos to qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Other nominees are:
Adelaide Koudougnon (Côte d’Ivoire)
Siaka Gigi Traore (ASEC Mimosa, Côte d’Ivoire)
Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe)
Genoveva Anonman (15 de Agosto)
Kim Björkegren (Ghana)
Jorge Vilda (Morocco)
Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
Carol Kanyemba (Zambia)
Madugu’s nomination highlights a dominant year for Nigerian women’s football, with both the Super Falcons and Flamingos earning multiple recognitions ahead of the CAF Awards 2025 ceremony.
