The commitment and strides in the recognition in Zambia’s junior football development for the year were brought into question at the 2016 MTN/FAZ annual awards on Tuesday night in Lusaka
Power Dynamos striker Patson Daka was awarded the 2016 Young Player of the Year.
The Young Player of the Year award is supposed to recognize a junior player breakthrough season something not new to Daka.
However, it is the second time that the 18-year-old had walked away with the accolade.
Daka also won the award in 2014 after an inspiring performance with the Zambia Under-17 team en route to the sides debut appearance at the 2015 CAF Under-17 Cup in Senegal.
Daka was seemingly nominated for this years award following a surge of form in the last half of the 2016 season for Power where he scored 12 competitive goals after new coach Dan Kabwe brought the best out of him after a lackluster initial first six month of the 2016 campaign.
He beat Zesco United defender Shemmy Mayembe who was plucked straight from the Zesco youth team this year into the frying pan of the 2016 CAF Champions League preliminary and group stage phase campaign.
Mayembe, like Daka, was part of the 2016 Cosafa U20 Cup winning team in South Africa.
Zanaco winger Charles Zulu was the third nominee in that category who was first capped by ex-Zambia coach Honour Janza in 2014 and handed Christopher Katongo’s number 11 shirt but fizzled during the latter’s rebuilding project from August,2014 to June, 2015.
Meanwhile, the top award deservedly went to Zanaco defender Ziyo Tembo who inspired The Bankers from the back to their 7th league title.
Ziyo capped his season scoring 7 competitive goals in 5 league goals and 2 in the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup and was also capped by ex-Zambia coach George Lwandamina.
The Zanaco defender made his competitive Chipolopolo debut in a 1-1 away draw against Cameroon last month in a 2018 World Cup Group B qualifier.
However, he was denied a double after he was also nominated for the most disciplined player award that went to Zesco goalkeeper Jacob Banda.
Nkana striker Walter Bwalya took home the 2016 Golden Boot after scoring 24 goals for the 12-time champions.
Zanaco coach Mumamba Numba took home the coach of the year award after winning the FAZ Super Division title in his debut term as head coach this season.
And referee Wisdom Chewe won the referee of the year award while Kabwe Chansa won the best assistant category.
Jan Sikazwe won the Presidents award.
The author of this article seam not to like the boy. Hard luck for your choice.
First of all the author must be clear. Reporting shouldn’t leave the reader guessing. What has raised eye brows and whose eyebrows indeed? The prizemoney? FAZ? The awarding of the prize?
Ni cimene naine nidabwa ayi!? Very si.lly headline for an otherwise lacklustre report…
add me
The main problem with Patson Daka is that he is not actually 18 as the report claims. People who know him well claim he is actually between 22 and 25. Can someone investigate this and finally put this matter to bed.
The issue here Patson Daka is not an upcoming young ni Nkote period; how can u be upcoming for fours years Zed Players Finish fast
*Young Star
What raises eyebrows in me is that he is not an upcoming player. Secondly, no one can win this award twice n thirdly Daka has been a shadow of himself for at least half of the season. The deserving winner was the Zesco boy. Abena President Kamanga apa bati yanganepo bwino