eBusiness Weekly
Chipo Sabeta
Tonight Zimbabwe honours its best home-based footballers and the Soccer Star of the 2018 season in the Castle Lager Premiership will be unveiled at a colourful banquet.While some people feel that yesteryear stars were real gems, in a class of their own who illuminated the domestic football scene and were full value for the awards they won as Soccer Stars of the Year, there has to be a winner, despite a shift of standards.
Last month, a panel of football writers, club captains and coaches met in Harare and came up with 11 players who are the finalists for the 2018 Soccer Star of the Year and now their king awaits the crowning moment.
Among those standing on firm ground to win include FC Platinum’s Rodwell Chinyengetere and team mate and Warriors’ defender Kevin Moyo.
Chinyengetere is reigning Soccer Star of the Year and his teammate Moyo emerged the first runner-up while their history-making coach, Norman Mapeza, took the Coach of the Year award in 2017.
Chinyengetere who joined FC Platinum at the end of 2015, where he became a vital cog to the squad, is the favourite to win the Soccer Star accolade tonight. The former Hwange player has since clinched the Golden Boot award with his 17 goals and is followed by Triangle’s Nhamo Lameck with 15.
He has also won the league’s “Player of the Month” in three months: August, September and October.
“I did my best as a player and I am happy. I contributed to my club’s title from the onset and it is a great feeling that we managed to defend our title. We played as a team and I want to salute the coach and the whole FC Platinum family. When it comes to the Soccer Star, I am excited to be among the best 11 selected players but I cannot tell if I will win. I am equally anxious,” said Chinyengetere who joined South Africa Premiership side Baroka FC on a two-year contract last week.
But there is also a dark horse in Highlanders goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda who had his best season in the Premiership, and could join Japhet Muparutsa, Energy Murambadoro and Arubi who won the award playing the number one position.
Sibanda kept 15 clean sheets from 28 league games he has played for the Bulawayo football giants, made two penalty saves and converted one goal from the penalty spot in a match that Bosso beat Harare City 2-0.
There was no doubt that Ngezi Platinum duo Godknows Murwirwa and Michael Charamba had an outstanding season and could upset the front-runners.
At the same ceremony, the Rookie of the Year will also be unveiled. It will also see Coach of-the-Year, Top Goal Scorer, Goalkeeper of-the-Year, PSL will also reward the Most Disciplined Team of the Year and Referee of-the-Year crowned.
It is for first time in over a decade, giants Dynamos have failed to contribute a player to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer Stars of the Year calendar, after the best 11 players.
The traditional giants Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United have struggled this season with Dynamos having to fight relegation in the last quarter of the year.
However, Bosso provided goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda and midfielder Joel Ngodzo was the only CAPS United player.
The champions contributed three players, who included midfielder Farai Madhananga, Moyo and Chinyengetere.
FC Platinum won their maiden championship last year, the first time since 1966 for a team from outside Harare or Bulawayo to manage that feat since 1966 when Father Anthony Edward Davies won it with St Paul’s FC of Musami, Murewa and successfully defended the title this season.
There has been debate among football analyst, among them former players arguing that there is little recognition to defensive players on the selection list. The call comes at a time when Zimbabwe strikers are struggling to reach a 20-goal mark for the past five years leaving unanswered questions if PSL teams been hit by striking disasters or defence has simply improved.
Ex-Highlanders and Warriors player Dazzy Kapenya is the last defender to have won the Soccer Star of the Year as a defender in 2002.
Unlike the World Team of the Year that select the best player on all positions, the Premier Soccer league only select the best 11.
The football’s world governing body collaborate with the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) to get around 25 000 professional players to vote for their peers.
Soccer Star of the Year Finalists
Ariel Sibanda (Highlanders), David Temwanjira (ZPC Kariba), Godknows Murwira (Ngezi Platinum Stars), Michael Charamba (Ngezi Platinum Stars), Innocent Mucheneka (Chicken Inn), Joel Ngodzo (Caps United), Nhamo Lameck (Triangle), Phineas Bamusi (Triangle), Kevin Moyo (FC Platinum), Farai Madhananga (FC Platinum), Rodwell Chinyengetere (FC Platinum).
