ZTA set to reward 2010 soccer star finalists

Sport
BY BRIAN NKIWANE ZIMBABWE Tourism Authority (ZTA) has finally agreed to pay out soccer star of the year finalists and other award winners that are still to get their prize money after excelling last year.

Sports Writers Association of Zimbabwe (Swaz) treasurer Phillimon Mhlanga confirmed to Standardsport that Charles Sibanda — Soccer Star of the Year 2010 — and company are set to get their prize monies anytime before year end.

“I met ZTA this week and we agreed that the 11 soccer-star-of-the-year finalists are supposed to get paid. We are going to hold the ceremony anytime before year end,” Mhlanga said.

Contacted for comment Sibanda said Mhlanga had communicated with him and they were actually praying that the ceremony be held so that they could have something in their pockets.

“They did communicate with us but they have not yet given us the actual date for the ceremony,” Sibanda said.

Also commenting on the issue, ZTA spokesperson Sugar Chagonda said they have since agreed with Mhlanga that they have to reward the 2010 outstanding players before year end. He said they have been all along waiting for Swaz to put their house in order and then reward the outstanding players for 2010.

“We had tasked Swaz to organise the day of the ceremony where we were going to reward these outstanding players but Swaz has been a big let-down. They took much time trying to organise the ceremony. By the time they came back to us saying that everything was now in order, we had no time as we were busy marketing our products internationally, so we had no time for that. But now that we have finished, we need to reward the players and give them their prize monies,” Chagonda said. The players are Joel Ngodzo and Benjamin Marere who were voted first and second runner-ups respectively.

The other eight finalists are Menard Mupera, Norman Maroto, Allan Gahadzikwa, Edmore Sibanda, Desmond Maringwa, Beki Ncube, Nyasha Mukumbi and Fortune Ncube.Maroto and Sibanda are also set to be rewarded for the Golden Boot Award and Goalkeeper of the Year Award respectively.