eBusiness Weekly
Langton Nyakwenda
Corporate-Owned Premier Soccer League teams dominated the 2018 Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year selection held at Mandel Training Centre in Harare yesterday.PSL champions FC Platinum, who enjoy huge financial support from platinum mining giant Mimosa, provided three players on the 2018 calendar.
Soccer Star of the Year hot favourite Rodwell Chinyengetere, Farai Madhanaga and Kelvin Moyo are part of the final 11.
Chinyengetere, formerly with Hwange FC , is the reigning Soccer Star having clinched the gong last year after helping the platinum miners to their first ever top flight league crown.
He will, however, face competition from his teammates Madhanaga and Moyo for the big one as the duo has also had a very good season.
Zimplats backed Ngezi Platinum Stars, who came second behind FC Platinum on the log, provided two players in wing-back Godknows Murwira and speedster Michael Charamba.
Triangle, which has had a stellar season under coach Taurai Mangwiro that culminated in them winning the Chibuku Super Cup and are sponsored by sugar producing company Tongaat Hullet, also have two players on the calendar.
Stocky striker Nhamo Lameck — who has since signed for champions FC Platinum — and Phineas Bamusi are the players from the Sugar Sugar boys to make it into the final 11 for 2018.
The Triangle forward also had a good season and could sneak in the top three which is sure to be dominated by FC Platinum players.
David Temwanjira who plays for ZPC Kariba also made it to the list of the Crème de La Crème of 2018 and so did star midfielder Innocent Mucheneka of Chicken Inn.
Only two players Joel Ngodzo of Caps United and veteran goalie Ariel Sibanda of Highlanders came from non-corporate owned teams.
In the Coach of the Year category, FC Platinum’s Norman Mapeza is also hot favourite to land the award for the second year running.
Former Ngezi Platinum Stars coach Tonderai Ndiraya, who was fired five games before the end of the season, is a potential challenger for Mapeza.
A panel comprising football writers, club coaches and captains, voted for the Coach of the Year but his name will be revealed together with that of the Soccer Star of the Year at a banquet to be held in the capital on December 7.
Soccer Star finalists
Ariel Sibanda (Highlanders), David Edwin Temwanjira (ZPC Kariba), Farai Madhanhanga (FC Platinum), Godknows Murwira, (Ngezi Platinum), Innocent Muchaneka (Chicken Inn), Joel Ngodzo (CAPS United), Kevin Moyo, (FC Platinum), Michael Charamba, (Ngezi Platinum), Lameck Nhamo (Triangle), Phenias Bhamusi (Triangle), Rodwell Chinyengetere (FC Platinum).
