Who’ll win VPL honour?
What you need to know:
The main focus will be on who grabs the Best Player Award as well as the coach of the year awards with benchmarks restricted to just the top flight league action.
Dar es Salaam. After a pulsating 2017/18 Mainland Premier League season, players and coaches will be rewarded for their efforts at next month’s Vodacom/TFF awards gala.
The main focus will be on who grabs the Best Player Award as well as the coach of the year awards with benchmarks restricted to just the top flight league action.
Seven Simba players have been nominated by their peers for the country’s player of the year award, after helping their team to the Mainland Premier League title for the first time in six years.
The players are Aishi Manula, Emmanuel Okwi, John Bocco, Jonas Mkude, Erasto Nyoni, Shiza Kichuya and Asante Kwasi.
They are among 30 players named by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) yesterday for the gala set for June 23 at the Mlimani City Hall.
Other players are Kelvin Yondani, Ibrahim Ajibu, Gadiel Michael, Obrey Chirwa and Papy Tshishimbi all from Young Africans.
Also on the list are Azam FC’s Yahya Zayd, Razack Abalora, Bruce Kangwa, Aggrey Morris and HimidMao, while from Mtibwa Sugar are Hassan Dilunga and Shaaban Nditi.
Singida United’s players on the list are Shafiq Batambuze, Mudathir Yahya and Tafadzwa Kutinyu.
The other players with their respective clubs in bracket are Habibu Kyombo (Mbao FC), Khamis Mcha (Ruvu Shooting), Awesu Awesu (Mwadui), Adam Salamba (Lipuli), Mohammed Rashid (Tanzania Prisons), Marcel Kaheza (Majimaji), Ditram Nchimbi (Njombe Mji) and Eliud Ambokile (Mbeya City.
The players will be trimmed down to 10 before the final list of three is unveiled. The trio will battle it out for the honour during eagerly awaited gala.
Last season, Mohamed Hussein of Mainland champions Simba claimed the award.
Newly-crowned Mainland Premier League champions Simba will also be awarded during the event.
Other awards that will be up for grabs include the top scorer, most disciplined team, the Under-20 Player, the best referee and best assistant referee.
There will also be prizes for the best goalkeeper, best coach and best goal of the season, VPL best Eleven and Hall of fame player award.
TFF media and communication officer, Clifford Ndimbo said yesterday that the event has been sponsored by the Premier League main sponsors Vodacom Tanzania, co-sponsors Azam TV, KCB bank and Premier Bet.
Ndimbo said there will be no award for the best foreign player this year.
