…And The 2013 Soccer Stars Are?

By Michael Kariati 

Harare, November 22, 2013 – A panel of selectors will Saturday gather
in Harare to select the 11 most outstanding footballers of the year
with the question that is being asked as to: Who will be the 2013
Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year ?

Already fans are playing a guessing game on whom they think will make
it among the 11 best players of the season but come Saturday their
guessing game will come to an end.

The soccer star of the year, his two runners up, the top coach and
referee will be kept secret and will only be unveiled at a banquet
whose date is still to be made public.

Prominent football supporter Chris Romario Musekiwa has warned the
selectors to pick the real soccer stars instead of players from their
favourite clubs.

“It is disheartening for a player who distinguishes himself for the
whole year only to miss out among the finalists because he does not
come from the selectors’ favourite clubs,” says Musekiwa.

The selection is based on performance in the Castle Lager Premier
Soccer League championship only and does not include showing in the
Banc ABC Sup8r, the Mbada Diamonds Cup nor the national team.

In 2012 and 2011, it was Dynamos who provided the soccer star of the year in the form of Denver Mukamba in 2012 and Washington Arubi in 2011 and both players were rewarded with contracts at South African clubs.

But one thing for sure is that Dynamos’ Devon Chafa who was one of the
favourites will not win the award. Chafa has fallen prey to the rule
that a player who is charged by Fifa, Zifa, the Premier Soccer League
or a court of law is disqualified. Chafa is on suspension from Fifa
after testing positive to a banned substance when in Warriors colours
in a World Cup qualifier against Egypt.

Twenty-two other players have also been disqualified for having
received six or more yellow cards including Dynamos defender Ocean
Mushure who has been very influential in the Glamour Boys’ good.

Surely it will not be easy for the selectors to come up with the best
11 but names that have been on the fans’ lips include that of Tawanda Muparati and  Partson Jaure whose fate will only be known a few hours
before selection as the Premier Soccer League’s disciplinary committee
was scheduled to meet Friday to decide on his case of charging at the
referee in his team’s 1-0 win over Highlanders.

Others whose names have been the talk of the football fraternity
include that of Peter Moyo and Njabulo Ncube of Highlanders, Silas
Songani of Harare City, Hardlife Zvirekwi and Ronald Pfumbidzai of
Caps United, and Tafadzwa Mombeshora of Shabanie Mine. Tonderai Ndoro
of How Mine by virtue of being the league’s top goalscorer is a sure
choice.

There are others too who believe that the likes of Highlanders
goalkeeper Tichaona Diya, and team mate Masimba Mambare, Hwange’s Eric
Chipeta, Thabani Kamusoko of FC Platinum, Fungai Chirinda of Shabanie,
Tafadzwa Dube of Caps United and Jacob Muzokomba of Buffaloes have had a good
season.

The fact that the selectors have a wide choice to pick up from clearly
shows that this has been one of the most exciting soccer seasons. But let the selectors pick the real deserving players, instead of those from the teams they admire.