Wed, 21 Dec 2016 09:04:58 +0000
By GRACE CHAILE
ZAMBIA national team and Zanaco defender Ziyo Tembo last evening scooped the 2016 Player of the Year award at the MTN-FAZ awards ceremony held at the Inter-Continental hotel in Lusaka.
Tembo bagged the award for the first time, beating Nkana striker Walter Bwalya and Zesco United midfielder Misheck Chaila.
Tembo captained Zanaco to their seventh league title and won a call-up to the national team.
And Zanaco coach Mumamba Numba added another award to the club when he won the Coach of the Year, beating Nkana’s Aggrey Chiyangi and ex-Zesco trainer George Lwandamina.
Numba led the bankers to the Confederation of Africa Football tournament and doubled it with winning the league title.
Meanwhile, Zesco’s first choice goal keeper and skipper Jacob Banda won the Most Disciplined award, outshining Zanaco’s duo of Tembo and Aubrey Funga.
After receiving massive criticism, Power Dynamos striker Patson Daka’s improved performance in the second half of the season paid off as he walked away with the Young Player of the Year award.
Daka skippered the Under-20 team that won the COSAFA Youth Championship title in South Africa last Saturday. His good performance at club level and at the COSAFA tournament was enough to beat his competitors Zanaco’s midfielder Charles Zulu and Zesco’s Shemmy Mayembe.
Kenyan-born David Owino Odhiambo of Zesco United received the Presidential award while Walter Bwalya got the Golden Boot award for netting 22 goals this season.
Wisdom Chansa won the Referee of the Year and the assistant referee award was scooped by Kabwe Chansa.
Zanaco were presented with the 2016 MTN-FAZ Premier League trophy while runners-up Zesco received silver.
