adminRay Bande Senior Sports Reporter
THIS years’ Castle lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Stars of the Year selection will be held on November 30, a day after league action has been effectively concluded in order to avoid awarding effort over achievement, again. This newspaper exclusively revealed after last years’ selection that selecting soccer stars a day before the league action has been effectively concluded normally misleads into awarding those who made a sterling effort without necessarily achieving anything over those who actually achieved accolades for their efforts.
Over the years the Castle lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Stars of the Year selection was done a day before the last round of kleague matches. In some cases winners of the prestigious accolades came from teams that were widely tipped to win the league on the selection day which was a day before the season ends. However, results on the final day of the league would come out with unexpected league winners thereby short-changing those who would have finally won the league title.
For example, last season Saul Chaminuka walked away with the Coach of the Year simply because most of those who selected expected ZPC Kariba to win the title but results on ten final day of the season left ZPC Kariba on second position while Dynamos went on to win the league with their coach Kalisto Pasuwa winning that title for a historic fourth consecutive time.
Even the reigning Soccer Star of the Year Dennis Dauda was the favourite among selectors simply because most believed his team would make light work of CAPS United and go on to win the league title but Kauya Katuruturu were humbled by CAPS United on the final day of the season, a result that helped Dynamos and Pasuwa to lift the league title.
Accordingly, this year the organisers have set November 30 as the day when the selection panel will gather to choose the 11 players who excelled this year. The soccer star of the year will be crowned at a banquet to be held in Harare on December 4. Meanwhile, it looks like it’s going to a tough call when journalists, coaches and club captains convene to select this year’s Castle lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Stars of the Year.
But following a mediocre season in which there were no outstanding performers who illuminated the scene, the selectors will need to scratch their heads to produce the final list. It just has been a difficult year for local footballers as shown by the journalist had in selecting the candidates for the monthly player awards.
The selectors struggled to come up with names and have somehow restricted themselves to choosing the strikers, presumably on the basis that they were scoring for their teams, at least. Chicken inn striker Edmore Chirambadare was the best player for the two opening months in April and May while Highlanders forward Knox Mtizwa was the best player for the combined month of June and July.
FC Platinum striker Mitchell Katsvairo took the monthly award for August while Dynamos’ Roderick Mutuma won the award for September. The winner for October and November will be selected at the end of this month. ZPC Kariba’s Dauda was the winner of the coveted award last year, but the defender is not likely to make it among the 11 this year following a below par season with the electricity men.
While it appears a tough call, log leaders Chicken inn and FC Platinum are expected to produce candidates for the top honours. With three games remaining in the season, it looks the Golden Boot award will be tightly contested. Highlander’s striker Mtizwa is the leading goal scorer with 12 goals while Chirambadare has 11.
ZPC Kariba midfielder Rapheal Manuvire and Chapungu striker Tinei Chitora have contributed nine goals and FC Platinum duo of Brian Muzondiwa and Obrey Chirwa are tied on eight goals.
Online Reporter