dyton mupawaenda
Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
THE Castle Lager Premier Soccer League strikers come under the spotlight tonight as young Takunda Benhura walks to the podium to collect the Golden Boot award.
Benhura, who featured in his first full season with newly-crowned champions Ngezi Platinum Stars, emerged the best of the lot after scoring 13 goals this season.
His nearest rivals Obriel Chirinda of Chicken Inn and ZPC Kariba’s Moses Demera finished with 12 goals apiece while Marlvin Hwata of Chicken Inn was not far off with 11 goals.
In fact, there are eight players that reached double figures, with former Golden Boot winner Rodwell Chinyengetere (CAPS United), Michael Charamba (Chicken Inn), Fortune Binzi (Manica Diamonds) and Simba Bhora’s Tinashe Balakasi tied on 10 goals.
But the scoring rate s is a major worry, considering that 13 goals can win the Golden Boot in a season where 34 games are played.
This year’s tally was even lower than the 17 goals scored by William Manondo for the Golden Boot last season and the 14 scored by Clive Augusto, to win the previous gong despite playing only 17 games for Chicken Inn before moving to South Africa in 2019.
Somehow, the local players have been shy of goal. It is disappointing to imagine a team like Highlanders, who finished in the top five, have amassed only 24 goals in 34 league games.
Their top scorers have three goals each.
Experts have often spoken about the need to address the root cause of this handicap. Saul Chaminuka, who recently won the November Coach of the Month award, rightly put it that the source of the problem lies in the lack of grassroots development strategy.
“It is a national problem and it is a long story in that we are supposed to start with pre-development, to development and then to senior football,” he said.
“Let’s look from pre-development; we don’t have the kits, we don’t have footballs and that is where it is supposed to be done. Every player when he is on the ball he thinks about scoring but the question is how many balls do we have for the junior players?
“A coach sometimes goes to the training ground and there is only one or maybe two footballs and he is training over 30 players. If you look at the time that each player has on the ball, let’s say in one hour; divide 30 players with one hour, so it’s probably just two minutes and two minutes can hardly develop a player,” he said.
But nothing should take away the splendour from young forward Benhura who, at 22 years, is set to be named one of the youngest Golden Boot winners.
Alois Bunjira won it at 21 years in 1996 after banging in 23 goals before injury intervened.
Only last season Benhura was playing Division One football with the Ngezi Platinum Stars development side.
He was promoted to the senior side but reverted back to the development side after suffering injury.
“I am very happy with what I have done this season,” said Benhura.
“Scoring the most goals in the league has been my highest point this season and being chosen as one of the Soccer Stars for the Year has been the icing on the cake.”
But, for the umpteenth season, the 20-goal mark remained unbreached even with each team playing 34 games during the season.
Players that have scored 20 or more goals since 2000 include record scorer in the modern premier league Chipo Tsodzo, who notched up 27 strikes for Masvingo United in 2001.
Zenzo Moyo netted 21 in 2001 and the previous season, in 1999/2000, Railstars’ Zambian import Mulenga Chewe recorded 24 for Railstars.
Evans Chikwaikwai finished with 23 goals for Njube Sundowns in 2008, while Nyasha Mushekwi managed 21 a year later and Norman Maroto was the last to breach the mark with 22 for Gunners in 2010.
Ironically, when Maroto achieved the feat, there was neither a floating trophy nor a cash reward as the league was unbranded then.
Online Reporter