2015-06-08Staff Report 2 Windhoek - Namibian football reigning champions African Stars’ inspirational captain Pat-Nevin Uanivi scooped the prestigious MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) Player of the Season Award, which carried a prize of N$30 000, following his outstanding performance last term. The highly experienced Uanivi, who also won the Best Defender of the Season accolade on the same evening, shook off unwanted attention from equally impressive opponents Peter Shalulile of Tura Magic and Orlando Pirates lethal striker Nicky Musambani to clinch the Player of the Season prize, at the MTC/NPL Awards ceremony at a Windhoek hotel on Saturday. The Katutura glamour football club African Stars bagged the majority of prizes at stake, with coach Woody Jacobs walking away with the Coach of the Season Award, in the process pocketing N$20 000. Jacobs, who is widely eulogised for steering Stars to its third league title, edged out Tigers’ mentor Bobby Samaria and Orlando Pirates coach Lucky Kakuva in the Coach of the Season category. Meanwhile, veteran goalkeeper Athiel Mbaha completed the accolades for Stars when he scooped the Best Goalkeeper of the Season Award, which carried a prize of N$5 000. Orlando Pirates free-scoring talisman Musambani also walked away with two awards, taking home the exalted Top Goal Scorer of the Season Award and the Players’ Player of the Season Award, which saw him amass N$35 000 from the two accolades. Former MTC Premiership champions Black Africa’s versatile defender-cum-midfielder Denzil Haoseb shared the Chairman’s Award with Tigers’ veteran shot-stopper Fox Nambundunga, while Tura Magic’s man of the moment Peter Shalulile won the Best Young Player of the Season Award and Blue Waters’ industrious young midfielder Gregory Aukumeb was the deserving winner of the Best Midfielder of the Season Award. The trio of Haoseb, Shalulile and Aukumeb were not present on the evening to receive their awards as they are currently stationed in Pretoria, South Africa, on national duty with the Brave Warriors, who are preparation for their upcoming 2017 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Niger on June 14. The man in uniform were also handsomely rewarded on the evening, with Reinhold Malima winning the Best Referee of the Season Award with a prize of N$10 000 while Christof Vries pocketing N$5 000 for the Best Assistant Referee of the Season Award. African Stars were officially unveiled as the 2014/2015 MTC Premiership champions and received their N$1 million prize money, while runners-up Black Africa took home N$600 000 with Tura Magic getting N$300 000 for finishing third, leaving Tigers to pick up the pieces for their consolation fourth place finish that earned them N$100 000. by Otniel Hembapu 2015-06-08Staff Report 2
