Castle Lager selectors need training as Msebe and Banda left out

Zimpapers Sports Hub
COSMAS Zulu has urged the Premier Soccer League and sportswriters to organise workshops that will aid the selection of Soccer Stars in the future.

He said once coaches, captains and media are workshopped there will be less controversy in the whole exercise as everything will be above board and be statistics based.

Zulu accused sports journalists of conniving to degrade the award with what he termed biased reporting towards specific players without reference to on-field facts and statistics.

“The media is to be blamed for the rot. You make so much noise about players because you like them and do not refer to statistics to back up your use of superlatives to decorate them in your match reports.

“I challenge writers and the PSL to organize workshops where you will be assisted towards a better way of going about the exercise like in the yesteryear era,” said Zulu.

He said a good assessment involves a scoring card for all departments with a number of attributes looked at in the players.

“You can have a panel involving a journalist, former player and coach looking at different departments in a match, for instance for a defender communication, ball control, heading ability defensively or offensively, ability to start play and other aspects, same is done for midfielders and strikers, even the goalkeeper, how good is he on grounders, high balls, communication, strong diving end, positioning, all these have to be taken into consideration match by match,” said Zulu.

Meanwhile in an unprecedented move Simba Bhora made history by having five players make the cut in the 11 Soccer Star of the Year finalists, but questions will remain on how seemingly better deserving stars like Mthokozisi Msebe and Tichaona Chipunza were left out.

Simba Bhora were last weekend crowned PSL champions, a first for a club outside Bulawayo, Harare and Zvishavane in independent Zimbabwe.

Prior to Independence in 1980, only St Pauls Musami had won the league title, shocking the nation as some of the players were pupils at the rural mission school whose team was coached by the famous Father Davis.

In recent memory Highlanders has had the highest number of players appearing in the Soccer Star of the Year calendar when in 2012 they had Masimba Mambare, Innocent Mapuranga, Ariel Sibanda and Mthulisi Maphosa making the cut.

Simba Bhora went one better this year with Walter Musona, Isheanesu Mauchi, Tymon Machope, Blessing Moyo and Webster Tafa making the cut.

However the performance of the team fell far away from dominant Black Rhinos, Caps United, Dynamos, Highlanders and Dynamos sides of the past that had so many players engraved legendary status in their early playing days.

Questions have however been raised on how Msebe, the Simba Bhora six-goal hero, who shone in midfield and combustion room director Chipunza missed out.

Coach Tonderai Ndiraya was on many occasions heard in interviews hailing these two teams for solid performances.
Why a team with not the best defence could have as many three defenders smuggled among the 11 is a mystery?

If leaving out the duo was criminal, eyebrows have been raised over the omission of exciting and dominant players from second-placed FC Platinum, Ngezi Platinum and Manica Diamonds.

Brian Banda had a magnificent season orchestrating moves for FC Platinum.

Who can forgive the selectors who included club coaches, captains and sportswriters for forgetting about statistics conveniently and leaving out Nyasha Gurende, Kuzivakwashe Madima, Boid Mutukure and Munashe Gavaza for shutting out opponents to come out with the best defence of the Premiership.

TelOne’s Chris Mverechena and Nkosiyabo Masilela were among the most outstanding players all season as did Manica’s Lawrence Masibera, Farai Banda and Kelvin Gwao.

Caps United whose lukewarm performance saw them finish ninth with one of the worst defences had a surprise two players Godknows Murwira and Kingsley Mureremba who was turned back from the Cosafa Under-20 Championships with questions over his age.

In a poor season by Bosso standards, Highlanders have 17-goal hero Lynoth Chikuhwa to atone for the terrible season.