Mikia Kalati
THE Premier league management committee (PLMC) is optimistic that the 2016/17 season individual awards will be held before the senior national team heads to South Africa for the regional COSAFA Cup which gets underway on 25 June.
PLMC general manager, Baitsi Motsamai said they and the league sponsors, Vodacom were still to decide the date.
“We hope to have them before the COSAFA tournament,” Motsamai said, adding, “Once that has been decided the information will be communicated to all stakeholders”.
Bantu midfielder, Hlompho Kalake and his teammates Thapelo Mokhehle, Itumeleng Falene and Lindokuhle Phungulwa are expected to battle it out for numerous awards along with the likes of the Lioli trio of Tšoanelo Koetle, Tumelo Khutlang and Liteboho Mokhehle and Kick4Life’s Bokang Mothoana.
Kalake had an outstanding season helping Bantu wrestle the championship from Lioli and he was the big winner at his club’s awards last month taking the Player; Players’ Player of the Year as well as the top goal scorer awards.
Mothoana was voted Kick4Life Player of the Season last week.
Turning to other issues, Motsamai praised the clubs for a competitive season that produced surprise packages such as Kick4Life and Sky Battalion who finished fourth and fifth respectively.
“It was good to see new teams fighting for top four places and that shows that the standards are improving season by season.
“The teams were better prepared and that is why to the very last day most still had something to fight for.”
He however, said that the crowd trouble that marred a few of the big games left a sour taste.
“It was a challenging season where the pressure and huge expectations led to a few sad incidents at our games.
“We will sit down with the clubs before the new season to find long term solutions to all the problems we encountered,” he added.
