Soccer star scam

HIGHLANDERS' left wing Joel Ngodzo was set to be named as the 2010 Soccer Star of the Year but the Sports Writers Association of Zimbabwe (Swaz) are split over the his selection and are set to drop him for Motor Action's Bulawayo boy Charles Sibanda. The 11 Soccer Star finalists were announced on December 4, following the selection and as per tradition the best player on the domestic league and the two runners up were set to be unveiled at a banquet a fortnight ago, but the function was put on ice as Swaz did not have the funds to bankroll the event. It is understood Ngodzo had been voted the best player in the land in a development which divided the Swaz as they felt that the controversial selection would scare Hararel sponsors for the award as some felt he should not have been on the list in the first place. The first runner-up was Dynamos' Benjamin Marere, while Sibanda was the second runner-up. However, the list has been revised down to top with Sibanda now set to be bestowed as the Soccer Star of the Year with Ngodzo coming as the first runner-up while Marere will be the third runner-up.  According to the selection criteria, each panelists lists what they consider the best 11 players on selection day. The chairman of the selection panel in the presence of Swaz executive then count the votes and players who garner few votes fall by the wayside.  The players who poll the most votes find themselvers on the final best 11. The panelists then list the three players who they consider among the 11 best players. The executive then counts the votes but the results are not announced until the day of the banquet, when the best three players are unveiled. The panelists are all practicing journalists from the print and electronic and 20 journos were part of the selection this year. However things have taken a new turn this year with the original controversial top three list now being altered, as it would "scare away" sponsors. Swaz has been split on regional grounds thus the voting does not reflect the performance of the players on the field of play but are hometown decisions. Phillemon Mhlanga, the Swaz treasurer told reporters that the players would be honoured in January. Mhlanga said the association was still trying to source sponsorship to award the players but was optimistic that it would be available next month. This is not the first time that the Soccer Star of the Year award has been rocked with problems since they were founded in 1969. In 1997, the Swaz were divided over the selection of the then Hwange player Walter Tshuma as the best player ahead of Dynamos' Tauya Murehwa.  Harare reporters always want a Harare person to win the title irregardless of their performance on the pitch. Some journalist called Mabika walked out of the Swaz meeting sometime this year in protest when his colleagues decided not to include some Dynamos players.