SOCCER – Nsingizini Hotspurs head coach Mandla Qhogi has questioned the MTN Premier League Awards selection process despite being named Coach of the Year on Thursday evening.
The South African tactician, who guided Hotspurs to a successful league title defence and a remarkable treble-winning campaign, expressed his disappointment over what he believes was a lack of recognition for his team’s achievements during the awards ceremony held at the Royal Villas.
While grateful for receiving the top coaching accolade, Qhogi suggested that the champions were overlooked in several categories despite their dominance throughout the season.
“I’m grateful for the honour of receiving the award, and this award belongs to my technical team and the players. This shows that if you work together, you are bound to be successful,” he said.
The coach, however, quickly turned his attention to what could be described as shortcomings in the nomination process.
“I am happy with the award, but, there are things that need to be looked at. It cannot happen that a team that won three trophies in one season and they only have two nominees in the awards,” he said.
Qhogi’s comments are likely to spark debate among football stakeholders after Nsingizini capped off one of the most successful campaigns in recent memory by lifting three major trophies during the season.
The coach argued that the number of nominees from the treble winners did not accurately reflect the club’s performances and achievements on the pitch.
“It shows that people are not watching or looking at football the way we see it. We cannot change it but for us as a team we are going to look forward and start preparing for the coming season,” he added.
Despite his reservations about the awards process, Qhogi remained gracious in accepting the Coach of the Year honour, crediting the success to the collective efforts of his players and technical team.
The award capped another memorable season for the coach, who arrived at Nsingizini midway through last season before transforming the club into the dominant force in domestic football.
Under his leadership, Nsingizini not only retained the MTN Premier League title, but also completed a treble, cementing their status as the country’s team to beat.
With the celebrations now over, Qhogi indicated that the club’s focus has already shifted towards preparations for next season as they seek to build on their recent success.
