Khama set for rich pickings
By Grace Chingoma
Zimbabwe international forward Khama Billiat could pocket a cool R450 000 on Monday night when the South African Premiership honours its outstanding footballers for the 2015/ 2016 season with the Warriors’ star expected to win all the major awards.
The Super Diski annual awards are set for Johannesburg’s Emperors Palace on Monday night and Billiat is the odds-on favourite to scoop the top awards.
It was also revealed yesterday that Billiat could move to Europe this year.
“It’s good that my performance is attracting interest from Europe,” he told Soccer Laduma.
“But at the moment I am still a Sundowns player and I am celebrating the success with them but we have to wait and see what will happen.
“If it happens that I leave for Europe, it will be a dream come true but if it doesn’t work out, I will be happy to be here with Sundowns.”
Billiat has been nominated for the big award, the South African Footballer of the Season, the ABSA Premiership Players’ Player of the Season as well as the ABSA Premiership Midfielder of the Season awards.
Everything right now points to a clean sweep by the Zimbabwean who took his football to a new level as he guided Mamelodi Sundowns to their second league title in three years with a record points tally.
Billiat, fittingly, scored his club’s final goal of the season on Saturday, running to a pass from teammate Keagan Dolly, fooling his marker as he cut inside at pace and then lifting the ball over the Platinum Stars ‘keeper.
Only last Friday, he won the Kick-Off Footballer of the Season Award in an online poll which was conducted by the soccer magazine.
The Footballer of the Season Award is voted for by the Premiership coaches and his Sundowns’ gaffer Pitso Mosimane has already said Billiat should win the award while Jomo Sono also revealed that he will vote for the Zimbabwean.
Billiat will battle for the top award with his teammates Dolly and Homplo Kekana.
He will also fight the duo for the Players’ Player of the Season Award.
The Zimbabwean ace became the first player in the South African Premiership to provide 20 assists in one season while he also scored 13 league goals for the Brazilians.
“He had brilliant season with Keagan (Dolly),” Mosimane told Kick-Off.
“I was speaking to them and asked Keagan, ‘How many goals did you score at Ajax?’ He said he couldn’t remember, but not more than four. Yet today he is still the same player, but he has won cups.
“Khama has won four cups now, it’s unbelievable, and it’s brilliant! It shows that anybody can achieve something.
“I told Khama when you come to Sundowns, I am bringing you to win the Footballer of the Year. I told him, I said to him, ‘You will win the Footballer of the Season’. It was like a talk, it took time. It took us three years.
“Even if he doesn’t win, he is my Footballer of the Year.”
The nominees, which were unveiled by the PSL also feature another Zimbabwean after Orlando Pirates forward Tendai Ndoro was nominated for the Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament.
Ndoro, who endured a frustrating start at his new club before bouncing back strongly when he started to get game time, has been a revelation at Pirates.
He is the leading goal-scorer in the Nedbank Cup, where he has so far grabbed five goals.
However, all eyes will be on the former Ajax Cape Town and CAPS United midfielder, Billiat, who lit the Premiership this season with his wizardry and took his game to a new level of excellence.
The Mufakose-born player also finished as the fourth best scorer in the league with 13 goals, two goals shy of Golden Boot Award winner Collins Mbesuma.
All the PSL awards categories and nominees:
Footballer of the Season
Khama Billiat — Mamelodi Sundowns
Keagan Dolly — Mamelodi Sundowns
Hlompho Kekana — Mamelodi Sundowns
Absa Premiership Player’s Player of the Season
Khama Billiat — Mamelodi Sundowns
Keagan Dolly — Mamelodi Sundowns
Hlompho Kekana — Mamelodi Sundowns
Absa Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season
Denis Onyango — Mamelodi Sundowns
Moeneeb Josephs — Bidvest Wits
Shu-Aib Walters — Mpumalanga Black Aces
Absa Premiership Young Player of the Season
Aubrey Modiba — Mpumalanga Black Aces
Sello Jaftha — Free State Stars
Rivaldo Coetzee — Ajax Cape Town
Absa Premiership Defender of the Season
Thabo Nthethe — Mamelodi Sundowns
Thulani Hlatshwayo — Bidvest Wits
Vuyo Mere — Platinum Stars
Absa Premiership Midfielder of the Season
Khama Billiat — Mamelodi Sundowns
Keagan Dolly — Mamelodi Sundowns
Hlompho Kekana — Mamelodi Sundowns
Absa Premiership Coach of the Season
Pitso Mosimane — Mamelodi Sundowns
Gavin Hunt — Bidvest Wits
Muhsin Ertugral — MP Black Aces
Absa Premiership Absa-lutely Awesome Goal of the Season
Ben Motshwari of Bidvest Wits vs Chippa United
Mpho Makola of Orlando Pirates vs Chippa United
Thabo Rakhale of Orlando Pirates vs MP Black Aces
Absa Premiership Top Goal-scorer of the Season
Collins Mbesuma — Mpumalanga Black Aces
MTN8 Last Man Standing
George Lebese — Kaizer Chiefs
Cecil Lolo — Ajax Cape Town
Ndiviwe Mdabuka — Ajax Cape Town
Telkom Knockout Player of the Tournament
Denis Onyango — Mamelodi Sundowns
Thabo Nthethe — Mamelodi Sundowns
Bongani Zungu — Mamelodi Sundowns
Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament
Tendai Ndoro — Orlando Pirates
Jacky Motshegwa — Baroka FC
Jeremy Brockie — SuperSport United
Nedbank Cup Young Player of the Tournament
Dumisani Ngwenya — Baroka FC
Oscarine Masuluke — Baroka FC
Ndivhuwo Ravhuhali — Baroka FC
NFD Top Goal-scorer of the Season
Thabiso Kutumela — Baroka FC
MultiChoice Diski Challenge Player of the Season
Khaya Shozi — Mamelodi Sundowns
Liam Jordan — Bidvest Wits
Sibusiso Sibeko — Golden Arrows
Source: The Herald
