mbulelo smpofu
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
WHEN the local football fraternity gathered to celebrate the achievements of its top players in Harare on Friday evening, a stark reality was laid bare, the glaring lack of female representation in sports journalism.
Convener of selectors Lawrence Moyo shared alarming figures of the number of females who are on the journalists’ voters panel.
“As we celebrate the successes of our soccer stars, I am reminded of a glaring disparity in our own ranks. This year, out of 101 panellists, comprising 90 voters and 11 members of the panel of experts, only three are women. This means that a mere three percent of our total experts and voters are female,” said Moyo.
He called for the involvement of more women not only in football but sport reporting in general.
“I commend the Zifa referees chairman Norman Matemera and his team for their efforts in introducing more female referees, including the historic all-female team that officiated the match between Herentals and Chicken Inn. But I must ask, why are we not seeing the same level of representation among our journalists and voters? It is imperative that we address this disparity and work towards creating a more inclusive and diverse voting panel. I urge our newsrooms to take a closer look at their recruitment processes and ensure that more female journalists are given the opportunity to cover matches and participate in the voting process. Let us strive to create a more balanced and representative voting panel, one that reflects the diversity and talent of our soccer stars,” said Moyo.
Moyo said this year’s selection process had been flawless.
“This year we had an impressive percentage of participation by the journalists, starting with the monthly awards where journalists voting success rate was 95,5 percent, one of the highest ever, from March to November 2024. 72 percent or 39 reporters out of 54 had 100 percent voting rate 11 reporters or six percent missed only one out of the 11 months. There are some who missed voting for three months or voted 67 percent but had valid reasons. The above denotes serious dedication and commitment as galvanised by management by the experts and co-ordination by Multimedia. On the voting day, everything went on well and it was, by far, the most efficient process in recent years,” said Moyo.
Walter Musona was named the 2024 Soccer Star of the Year. This is his second time winning the award, having also won it in 2022. Musona had a phenomenal season, scoring 10 goals for Simba Bhora and replicating his fine form for the senior national team. Highlanders striker Lynoth Chikuhwa was named the first runner-up, having finished the season with an impressive 17 goals, earning him the Golden Boot award. Khama Billiat was named second-runner up. Tonderayi Ndiraya took home the Coach of the Year award, while Billiat won the Fans’ Player of the Year award, thanks to his 13 goals and numerous assists for the Miracle Boys.
The Referee of the Year award went to Brighton Chimene, with Bulawayo’s Owen Manenda and Polite Dube finishing as first and second runners-up, respectively. TelOne’s Allan Chapinduka was named the Most Promising Player of the Year, while Chicken Inn’s Donovan Bernard took home the Goalkeeper of the Year award, having kept an impressive 20 clean sheets throughout the season. FC Platinum was named the most disciplined team in the league.
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