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Sports Reporter
FORMER Zimbabwe international striker Alois Bunjira’s call for the Golden Boot award winner’s prize money to be rolled over to next season because the forwards have scored a few goals torched a storm on social media yesterday.
The Golden Boot winner gets US$1 500 and Highlanders Charles Sibanda is on course to win the award having scored 12 goals.
Yesterday, Acting Sunday Mail Sports Editor Makomborero Mutimukulu opened the debate, on his Facebook page, questioning if Bunjira was right.
“Why should we not have a Golden Boot Winner when the award is meant for a guy who has scored the most goals?” asked Mutimukulu
“The fact that the most goals are three, seven or 12 doesn’t matter.
“Whoever scores the most goals should be Golden Boot winner . . . simple isn’t it?
“South Africa gave Bernard Parker the award for his 10 goals last season . . . whats better now 10 or 12. . . come on!”
There were more than 170 responses by last night to that post.
Zimpapers football correspondent, Noel Munzabwa, picked up the debate from his base in Swaziland.
“We would rather analyse the factors affecting this low score rate — eg types of play, technical capacity etc. if you closely analyse 80% of the coaches in the PSL were either midfielders or defenders during their playing days and naturally goalkeepers’ coaches are former goalkeepers,” argued Munzabwa.
“That on its own points to a ‘lets avoid conceding goals’ (defensive) approach than ‘lets score goals’ (attacking) mentality.
“Teams will be content with scoring one and park the bus as long as they win. This is the reason why our scorers’ charts are dominated by attacking midfielders and not natural strikers.
“Check at Highlanders, for example, the last high scoring strikers were Adam Ndlovu, Zenzo Moyo and Ralph Matema, in the last 15 years the rest have been midfielders Dabwitso Nkhoma, Charles Chilufiya, Masimba Mambare etc.
“As a way forward just like we have goalkeepers coaches clubs should hire striker’s coaches to help out. The other fact is the background of training for our coaches.”
Munzabwa said domestic football had also changed.
“Look at a time when the Peter Nyamas scored 46 and Moses Chunga scored 46, most coaches in that era like the Paul Moyos were Brazil trained and what do we know about Brazilian soccer — score but we will score more than you and win the game — and the scorelines then 5-4, 6-5 4-3 etc,” he argued.
“As English soccer became popular in the ‘90s we shifted to follow the English type of soccer, those scores started going down to the 26 Alois Bunjira scored because that play is close and compact.
“In recent days we have had coaches trained in Germany (like) Mangwiro hence the defensive approach. Tiki Taka has also crept in thanks to the Spanish influence, we hope the CR7 and Messi frenzy will inspire our strikers to wake up.”
But Bunjira remained defensive of his position.
“Saka imimi murikuti if dofo repa next door rikapembedzwa imi kwenyu pembedzaiwo dofo renyu?” he said in reference to Parker scoring 10 goals in South Africa.
“What is wrong in telling my son that if he doesn’t get 50% in his exam I won’t buy him Christmas clothes?
“Should I reward my son for being number one in his (class) iye aine eight Us ?
“For your own information, in SA, Bernard Parker didn’t get the full amount for topping with 10 goals. In SA, a top scorer who scores less than 15 goals only gets a token amount.
“That is how they reacted to strikers not scoring goals.
“And that is my line of thought, hence the suggestion. My suggestion is to push strikers to excel, instead of awarding mediocrity. What’s wrong in setting up a target to chase? Ever heard of standards?”
Online Reporter