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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Football Association has come up with awards which seek to honour as well as recognise individuals together with institutions that have excelled in the sport before and after independence.
A nominations and adjudicating committee has been mandated to come up with the contenders for the award categories. The awards ceremony will be held in Harare at a date to be announced.
“The Zifa Awards have been in the pipeline for a while and a lot of work has been done behind the scenes to make the event worthwhile. Preparations have started and as Zifa, we believe we have to honour those who lifted our game in and outside our borders. We have to do it as football people and I can assure you, it is going to be a night to remember and from this year, we will hold the awards annually,” said Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda, who chairs the Zifa Awards committee.
Under the Legendary Football Award, there will be five winners with a leeway for the adjudicators to look beyond 1980, with three to be honoured for the Best International Football Player accolade which is meant for those who flew the Zimbabwean flag high on the international scene.
Three Outstanding Referees stand a chance to be recognised for exuding a high level of professionalism locally and internationally. One winner will be named for the Outstanding Senior Men’s Team Coach from 1980 to 2017. For the Best Zimbabwe Player Abroad, the award seeks to reward brilliance by three local stars currently playing overseas.
An Outstanding Leadership- Women’s football prize is for a female who has shown exceptional management skills in the game. Three mentors who have been made a mark in the local game since 1980 will be honoured in the Outstanding Premier Soccer League Coach.
One professionally run football club in the club will get the prize for the Most Professionally Run Football Club. It gets even more interesting for the local clubs as one will also walk away with an accolade for being the Most Successful Zimbabwean Club, an award which is certain to create a lot of debate especially among Highlanders, Dynamos and Caps United fans. The academy which has immensely contributed to the growth of the game in the country will be rewarded with the Football Development Award.
“There are also president’s awards. These will be at the discretion of Zifa president Dr Phillip Chiyangwa and the public will be advised on the date of the awards in not so distant future,” said Sibanda. -@Mdawini_29
Online Reporter