adminSikhumbuzo Moyo in BULAWAYO
FORMER Zimbabwe international striker, Alois Bunjira, has called for the cancellation of the Golden Boot Award this year, the goals scored so far by the leading candidates don’t justify the award’s prize money.
The Golden Boot winner gets US$1 500 and Highlanders’ Charles Sibanda is on course to win the award.
Veteran football analyst, Limukani Ncube, said what was also interesting was that the leading marksman was not even an out-and-out striker.
“Charles is not even your number 9 yet he leads our charts, something is not right somewhere with our strikers,” said Ncube.
Writing on his Facebook wall, Bunjira, the Golden Boot winner in 1996 with 23 goals, suggested that the sponsors, Delta Beverages, through their Castle Lager brand, should withdraw the award.
“Our leading goal scorer is on 12 goals from 28 matches, two games to go, am I wrong to suggest that the sponsors should withdraw the award and add it to the one for next year,” said Bunjira.
He said the league should come up with a carrot and stick set up as a way of motivating players to score more goals.
“For example the 2015 top scorer should score at least 20 goals and if they fail the award and prize money should roll over to 2016 until we have a top scorer on 20 goals or more,” said Bunjira.
However, PSL chief executive Kennedy Ndebele said cancelling the award was out of the question as they have a working document signed at the beginning of the year. “These things are set at the start of the season. People must venture into finding out why we have fewer goals then we can talk to technical guys and come up with a solution to this.
“Yes, we can always negotiate with sponsors to have some inducement like in South Africa but for now, we are awarding the top goalscorer, regardless of the number of goals scored,” said Ndebele.
In South Africa the league set a target of 26 goals plus ,which goes with a cheque of 100 000 rand, but no one has been able to claim the prize in the last 10 years.
Zambian Collins Mbesuma scored 25 times in the 2003-4 season.
Last season, Kaizer Chiefs’ Bernard Parker was the top marksman with a paltry 10 goals, confirming that the problem is not unique to Zimbabwe only but probably spread throughout Africa.
In Zambia, their reigning Golden Boot winner, Nkana’s Ronald Sate Sate Kampamba scored 18 goals.
Last season, Tendai Ndoro grabbed the award with 18 goals, the same number scored by the 2012 winner Nelson Maziwisa in 2012.
In Europe’s major leagues like the Barclays Premiership and La Liga in Spain, their leading marksman, Sergio Aguero for Manchester City and Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid have already scored 10 and 17 goals with just 10 matches into the season.
Online Reporter