* Nominated alongside Mzuzu City Hammers goalkeeper Chancy Mtete, who kept 4 clean sheets in five games played
* Mtete also considered for Goalkeeper of the Tournament alongside Panthers FC’s Precious Masamba and Wanderers’ William Thole
* Masamba also nominated for Discovery of the Season award alongside teammate, Geoffrey Sumani and MMF Marine’s Isaac Kondowe
By Duncan Mlanjira
With a haul of 13 goals in 6 games that earned him the Golden Boot of the Castel Challenge Cup 2024, Mighty Wanderers striker Clement Nyondo has been nominated for the Player of the Tournament award — alongside teammate, Isaac Kaliati and Mzuzu City Hammers goalkeeper Chancy Mtete.
Chauncy Mtete
The awards would be presented on February 21, 2025, at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre alongside the crowning of the inaugural FAM Annual Football Awards in which Isaac Kaliati is also a contestant for the inaugural Footballer of the Year — alongside Nyasa Big Bullets Nigerian striker Babatunde Adepoju and Silver Strikers’ goalkeeper George Chikooka.
For the Castel Challenge Cup 2024, Nyondo and Kaliati have been nominated alongside Mzuzu City Hammers goalkeeper Chancy Mtete, who kept 4 clean sheets in five games played.
Mtete has also been considered for Goalkeeper of the Tournament award alongside Wanderers’ William Thole and second tier league side, Panthers FC’s shotstopper, Precious Masamba.
Masamba has further been nominated for Discovery of the Season award alongside teammate, midfielder Geoffrey Sumani and MMF Marine’s striker, Isaac Kondowe.
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According to the résumé prepared by Fam.mw, from 6 games he started, Clement Nyondo played a total of 495 minutes and was one of the ever-present players for Wanderers as they went on to win the Castel Challenge Cup 2024.
While Kaliati, who had wonderful 2024 season, finishing as the Nomads’ leading scorer in all competitions, played a total of 437 minutes, scoring 4 goals.
The Nomads won the Castel Challenge Cup 2024 by defeating Mzuzu City Hammers, whose goalkeeper, Chancy Mtete was a phenomenon, having kept 4 clean sheets from 5 games, the blemish being the goal he conceded in the final from Wanderers’ Cameroonian striker Sama Thierry Tanjong.
Mzuzu City Hammers is recognised as having defied all odds to reach the final, which was their second national cup final appearance after the 2021 FDH Bank Cup.
Mtete was the hero in the semi-final as they eliminated defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets — keeping a clean sheet in regulation time and forcing the match into post-match penalties wherever saved two spot kicks to inspire his side to the final.
For the Goalkeeper of the Tournament, he is first up against Panthers FC’s Precious Masamba, with 2 clean sheets in 4 games, a performance taken into consideration since the lower league side was a revelation of the tournament.
Mtete has since joined Wanderers
“Panthers had an exciting run in the Castel Challenge Cup 2024 as they were the only non-Super League side to reach the semi-finals,” says FAM in the résumé. “Their achievement was not by fluke or mere lucky of the draw as they proved to be giant killers after eliminating four Super League clubs along the way.
“They beat MAFCO in Round of 64, Silver Strikers in Round of 32, Chitipa United in Round of 16 and Civil Service United in the quarterfinals.
“They won all the four matches on post-match penalties and Masamba was the hero deciding all the matches. He saved two penalties against Chitipa and Civo and one against Silver.”
Thus Mtete has also been considered for the Discovery of the Season alongside teammate, midfielder Geoffrey Sumani and another lower league side, MMF Marine’ striker, Isaac Kondowe.
Sumani is reported to have been another driving force in Panthers’ exciting run in the Castel Challenge in which he showed responsibility in taking and scoring all last winning penalties in the matches against MAFCO, Silver Strikers, Chitipa United and Civo.
Panthers FC
Apart from Panthers, Southern Region Football League Premier Division side, MMF Marine was another lower league side that had a good run in the competition as they reached the quarterfinals where they lost to Nyasa Big Bullets.
Striker Isaac Kondowe was one of their star performers as he scored three goals to guide Marine to the last eight.
As for Wanderers’ William Thole, nominated for Goalkeeper of the Tournament, he kept 4 clean sheets in five games of a total of 450 minutes.
“With Wanderers facing a Round of 16 elimination scare against Creck Sporting Club, Thole took matters in his own hands when he saved two penalties and scored one as the Nomads triumphed on post-match penalties,” says the résumé.
At the FAM Football Awards, top performers in the FDH Bank Cup 2024 will also be honoured in same categories of Player of the Tournament, Discovery of the Tournament, Best Goalkeeper and Top Goal Scorer.
The top goal scorer was already claimed by Moyale FC striker Emmanuel Allan who scored nine while Nyasa Big Bullets’ Babatunde will compete with Blue Eagles duo Joshua Waka and Paul Master for the Player of the Tournament award.
The three nominees for the goalkeeper of the tournament are Nyasa Big Bullets stopper Richard Chimbamba, Moyale’s Olyce Nkhwazi and Joshua Waka of Blue Eagles FC.
Waka has also been nominated for the Discovery of the Tournament award alongside teammate Andrew Juvinala and Lube Masters Raffick Kabwazi.
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“Blue Eagles defied the odds to become a lower League team to win a national championship in many years,’ says FAM’s résumé . “One of the outstanding players in the campaign was goalkeeper Joshua Waka who featured in all the matches and did not concede a goal.
“He saved penalties in the wins against Santhe and Silver Strikers as well as the final against FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.”
Paul Master is being considerate for his ever present in the campaign playing every minute during the competition leading the Eagles defence as they finished the campaign without conceding a goal. He also found the target in the team’s win over Baka City in the quarterfinals.
Babatunde Adepoju had a descent campaign for Nyasa Big Bullets as they reached the FDH Bank Cup final for the third successive year. He played all the five matches leading to the final match scoring four goals in the process. He scored a double as Bullets beat rivals Wanderers in the round of 16.
Nigerian Babatunde
Nyasa Big Bullets’s Richard Chimbamba had a descent campaign for the two-time winners keeping two clean sheets in the quarterfinals against Civil Service United and the final against Blue Eagles.
Moyale Barracks goalkeeper, Olyce Nkhwazi was one of the best in the tournament as he played a big role in Moyale’s run to the semifinals where they lost to Nyasa Big Bullets. His biggest moment was in the Round of 16 against Dedza Dynamos when he saved two penalties and scored the winning penalty.
In the Discovery of the Season, Raffick Kabwazi was on of the key players for Lube Masters as he scored a goal each in all the three matches he played. Apart from Blue Eagles, Lube Masters were the other non-Super League side that had a good run in the competition as they reached the quarterfinals.
Blue Eagles’ Andrew Juvinala, the defender who was poached from Scors FC in the Under-20 League, had a great season for the Eagles across all competitions as he played every minute of the campaign forming part of the strong Eagles wall at the back.—Content by Fam.mw; editing by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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