Robson SharukoMetros EditorLAST year we went against tradition and picked Khama Billiat as our Soccer Star of the Year.We announced our pick on the day the panel of experts, who choose the Soccer Star of the Year, met in Harare to pick the best 11 footballers.It was against tradition because local newspapers have normally shied away from choosing the man they feel is the Soccer Star of the Year.But, we defended our decision, arguing that as a tabloid newspaper, we are not chained to the regulations which guide the mainstream media.Well, Khama did not win the award when the panel of experts, which includes journalists and coaches, met in Harare last year.Instead, they picked Walter Musona after he powered Simba Bhora to their maiden Soccer Star of the Year crown.Khama finished third in the poll.However, the fans backed our decision to choose Khama when they named him as their choice for the Fans’ Footballer of the Year.Today, the panel which chooses the Soccer Star of the Year is back in session when this season’s outstanding players are chosen.And, just like we did last year, we are picking our choice for the award.We have picked Kelvin Moyo, the Scottland defender, for the award.Moyo was the leader of the Scottland defence, which conceded 20 goals, the least number of goals conceded during the season.It’s the same number of goals which FC Platinum also conceded.While Scottland boasted a number of star players in attack, which powered the side to score more goals than any other team during the season (47), their defenders were the unsung heroes.Before Knowledge Musona joined the Mabvuku side midway during the season, it’s fair to say that Scottland appeared to lack the cutting edge upfront.And, now and again, they were bailed out by their defence in which Moyo was the leader of those defenders.He is also the only Scottland player to feature in all the 34 league games during the season.We understand that there will a big chunk of our readers who will argue that Emmanuel Jalai deserves the crown.That’s a fair argument.Jalai was the star of a Dynamos team which punched below its weight all season and found itself in relegation trouble.At times, he appeared to be fighting a lone battle, the star which kept shining when everything around it was dark and he also scored some crucial goals.There is nothing that says a player whose team has battled relegation all season cannot be crowned Soccer Star of the Year.The fact that we picked Khama last year, during a season when Yadah battled against relegation, showed that the Soccer Star of the Year award isn’t really about how one’s team performed.It’s about how one performed and that is why the award is given to an individual and not a team.But, while we respect the shift that Jalai put in during his best season since he turned professional, we believe that he was just a shade behind Moyo. LAST year we went against tradition and picked Khama Billiat as our Soccer Star of the Year. We announced our pick on the day the panel of experts, who choose the Soccer Star of the Year, met in Harare to pick the best 11 footballers.
It was against tradition because local newspapers have normally shied away from choosing the man they feel is the Soccer Star of the Year. But, we defended our decision, arguing that as a tabloid newspaper, we are not chained to the regulations which guide the mainstream media. Well, Khama did not win the award when the panel of experts, which includes journalists and coaches, met in Harare last year.
Instead, they picked Walter Musona after he powered Simba Bhora to their maiden Soccer Star of the Year crown. Khama finished third in the poll.
