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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
FOOTBALL analysts and supporters have hailed the new panel for the selection of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Stars of the Year. The new panel will now have 30 journalists from the mainstream media, 16 premiership clubs’ coaches and 16 captains of all the clubs in the league. Previously, journalists, even from obscure media houses and a host of other correspondents that included interns, participated in selection process.
Football analyst and commentator Faith Dube, hailed the move saying the process will now address some controversies that were now perennially associated with the process like regionalism and certain allegiances.
“I think this is a novel idea which is in line with international best practice insofar as the selection of soccer stars is concerned. The past selection process had hazardous implications to the careers of some of the undeserving soccer players who were not yet ready particularly for foreign football clubs. A soccer star naturally attracts the attention of foreign clubs and at the same time heightens expectations hence most of the boys tend to struggle after they were signed on the strength of them being stars,” said Dube.
He added: “Denver Mukamba went to Wits and has been struggling. Tawanda Muparati actually couldn’t make it into the first team of locally- based players in the Chan tournament a month after being crowned the Soccer Star of the Year.
“This is all indicative of a crisis in the selection process which was now more fanatical and regional in nature. I therefore believe the fine combination of professional players, coaches and the mainstream media who regularly cover these matches will address a lot of controversies which were now a characteristic feature of the selection process”.
A Caps United fan, Blessed Gumbo, said it was pleasing to note that Zimbabwe was now moving together with the rest of the world and like Dube, said the process will now be truly professional with deserving players getting on the calendar.
“Captains are an integral part of the game and their exclusion has always been seen as unfair but now that they are part of the panel, it makes the process much better. We hail the league and the sponsors for taking a step towards professionalism,” said Gumbo.
His sentiments were echoed by a Dynamos fan, Bruce Munyoro, who said some journalists are imbedded to certain clubs and that tended to blur their views when coming up with the country’s best players.
“We will now have the foot soldiers of the game that is the captains and that makes us fans more confident that whatever will come out of the selection room would be the real thing,” said Munyoro.
PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said the selection criteria, which was also a subject of immense debate last year, will be reviewed at a later stage with sports editors involved.
“We write to advise Delta Beverages and Castle Lager Premier Soccer League to re-organise the panel of selectors for Castle Lager PSL Monthly and Annual Awards. The panel of selectors shall be as follows; print and electronic media – 30 votes, Castle Lager PSL team captains -16 votes, Castle Lager team coaches – 16 votes,” he wrote to sports editors.
Last season, there was a huge public outcry especially on the goalkeeper-of-the-year after the organisers applied the Zamora Award criteria which was however not properly applied.
In the inaugural year of the award, the winning goalkeeper had to play at least 15 league matches in the current season. In 1964, the limit for matches a goalkeeper had to play was raised to 22. In 1983, it was raised to 28 matches, including the rule that the goalkeeper had to play at least 60 minutes in a match for it to count.
For the leagues with only 10 teams the limit of matches was 14, for those of 12 teams it was 17 and for those of 14 the limit was 20 matches. For those leagues of 16 teams it is 22 – as originally established for the trophy from 1964 to 1983.
Number of representatives per media house
B-Metro (1), Chronicle (2), Daily News (2), Gemazo (1), The Herald (3), H-Metro (2), NewsDay (2), Patriot (1), Southern Eye (2), Sunday News (2), Sunday Mail (2), ZiFM (1), Zimbabwe Mail (2), ZBC (TV/Radio) (2), Manica Post (1).
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