Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ONLY four names sat on the list by the time the Premier Soccer League closed its books. It was a quiet detail tucked beneath the noise of awards night, yet it carried more weight than any applause inside the room.
When Washington Navaya’s name rose above the favourites and he stepped forward as Soccer Star of the Year, the ceremony felt complete.
It was smooth, orderly, all according to script. Then came the part that troubled Lawrence Moyo long after the lights dimmed.
Moyo, the convener of selectors, spoke of a process that moved cleanly from the first ballot to the final tally. He had no issues with the voting. No disputes in the room. No tension among the panel of 18 coaches, their captains, or the journalists who formed just over half the vote.
What stayed with him was something else, something beneath the surface of the celebration.
“It was a flawless process by both the panel and the voting. The panel of selectors comprised 18 coaches and their captains, while journalists made up 51 percent of the panel,” he said.
Then he mentioned the number that has become a warning. “With regards to the Most Promising Young Player award, at the beginning of the season, there were 18 clubs, each with five slots for development players. But by the end of the season, only four players qualified because they were the only ones who managed to play more than 10 games.”
He paused on that. Four players. Out of 76.
“When the season started, we had 76 players registered under this category. Seventy-two of them could not play at least 10 of the 34 games. For me, this is an area that needs attention from both the PSL and Zifa. We have to come up with more sustainable development strategies,” he said.
His worry framed the night differently. Awards evenings are meant to salute the present, yet the gap he pointed out left everyone thinking about tomorrow: the coaches who cling to experience over youth, the clubs who romance short-term survival, and the young footballers who remain stuck between potential and opportunity.
Navaya’s win, unexpected as it was, came with its own delight. He edged past Kevin Moyo and Dynamos right back Emmanuel Jalai, two names many in the hall assumed were locked in for the top prize.
Moyo settled for first runner-up, Emmanuel Ziocha followed as second runner-up, and the room accepted the verdict with ease.
The Golden Boot added a sharp finish to the ceremony as Navaya’s 17 goals nudged him ahead of Tymon Machope, who closed the season on 16.
Scottland’s rise remained one of the year’s defining threads. Their coach, Tonderai Ndiraya, walked up for the Coach of the Year honour again.
He made history with back-to-back titles, each achieved with a different team, a rare run that deepened his reputation without him forcing the moment.
Malawi’s William Thole, the Simba Bhora goalkeeper whose calm hands guided 17 clean sheets, collected his award for Goalkeeper of the Year.
Mafios Chihweta, the lively young fullback from Scottland, left with the Rookie of the Year title, and Jalai carried the Fans’ Choice Award home.
By the end of the night, the photographs told one story, but Moyo’s numbers told another. The league has stars who shine on command, coaches who build teams in their image, keepers who protect leads with discipline, and strikers who rise beyond expectation.
What it does not have is a steady line of young players ready to break through and make the future feel secure.
That, more than any trophy lift, is the story Moyo wanted people to take home.
