By Blessings Chitekwere:
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) will on Friday host its second annual awards ceremony at COMESA Hall in Blantyre, an event designed to honour the individuals who have distinguished themselves in the country’s football landscape over the past season.
The ceremony seeks to recognise excellence across several categories in both men’s and women’s football, with some of the top accolades including Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Young Player of the Year.
In the men’s category, Mighty Wanderers coach Bob Mpinganjira has been nominated for Coach of the Year alongside Malawi Under-20 national team mentor Millias Pofera Jegwe and Silver Strikers coach Peter Mgangira. The Goalkeeper of the Year award will be contested by FCB Nyasa Big Bullets pair Chikumbutso Salima and Babatunde Adepoju, as well as Mighty Wanderers goalkeeper Dalitso Khungwa.
The Young Player of the Year category features Silver Strikers midfielder Festus Duwe, Kamuzu Barracks’ Francis John Mchema and Karonga United’s Allen Chihana, players who have all made notable impressions during the campaign.
In the women’s section, Malawi Women’s National Football Team coach Lovemore Fazili will compete for the Coach of the Year award alongside Silver Strikers Ladies mentor Andrew Chikhosi and Maggie Chombo, who has guided FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women and the Malawi Under-20 women’s side.
The Women’s Player of the Year award will be contested by Ascent Academy’s Leticia Chinyamula and the Silver Strikers Ladies duo of Deborah Henry and Ireen Khumalo. In the Young Player of the Year category, Ascent Academy pair Mayamiko Mkandawire and Maureen Kenneth have been nominated alongside Kukoma Ntopwa Queens attacker Sarah Mlimbika.
Beyond the main honours, FAM will also recognise outstanding performers in competitions run in partnership with corporate sponsors. These include Castel Malawi Limited, sponsors of the Castel Challenge Cup, FDH Bank Plc which backs the FDH Bank Cup, NBS Bank which sponsors the National Division League and the National Bank of Malawi which supported the inaugural NBM Women’s Premiership.
In the NBM Women’s Premiership awards, the Player of the Season nominees are Silver Strikers Ladies striker Deborah Henry, Ascent Academy midfielder Leticia Chinyamula and Silver Strikers Ladies defender Ireen Khumalo. The Midfielder of the Season category features Chinyamula again, Kukoma Ntopwa Women’s midfielder Sarah Mlimbika and Mighty Wanderers Queens’ Funny Moyo.
For Defender of the Season, the nominees are Khumalo, Ascent Academy’s Maureen Kenneth and Civil Service Women defender Emily Samuel. Henry concluded the campaign as the league’s leading scorer after registering 23 goals in 18 matches.
The Castel Challenge Cup awards will see FCB Nyasa Big Bullets duo Maxwell Phodo Gasten and Innocent Nyasulu nominated for Player of the Tournament alongside Goshen City Dedza Dynamos goalkeeper Donnex Mwakasinga. The Goalkeeper of the Tournament category features Mwakasinga, Nyasulu and Blue Eagles shot stopper Precious Masamba.
In the Discovery of the Season category for the competition, Mzuzu City Hammers midfielder Alex Msiska and Moyale Barracks midfielder Lameck Mithi have been nominated. Phodo finished the tournament as the leading scorer with seven goals.
In the FDH Bank Cup, Silver Strikers duo George Chikooka and Maxwell Paipi have been nominated for Player of the Tournament together with Mighty Wanderers midfielder Blessings Singini. The Goalkeeper of the Tournament nominees are Chikooka, Wanderers goalkeeper Dalitso Khungwa and Civil Service United’s Rahman John.
Mchinji Villa players Davie Juwawo and Mustapha Kelvin have been nominated for the Discovery of the Season award following their impressive performances during the competition.
In the National Division League awards, the Player of the Season nominees are Mitundu Baptist striker Rahim Mtondera, Red Lions midfielder Mphatso Magaleta and Red Lions defender Zikhole Ngulube.
Magaleta has also been nominated for Midfielder of the Season alongside Alexander Cosmas of Namitete Zitha and Chitsanzo Saidi of FOMO FC. In the Defender of the Season category, the nominees are Baka City defender Mwiza Chiona, Ngulube and Ntaja United’s Lloyd Chilenga. Mtondera finished the season as the league’s top scorer with 25 goals.
Silver Strikers Dominate Nominations
Silver Strikers have emerged as one of the most prominent clubs in this year’s nominations, reflecting a season in which the club’s players and technical staff left their imprint across several competitions.
Out of the 52 nominations across the main awards and competition based categories, individuals associated with Silver Strikers and Silver Strikers Ladies account for 11 nominations, representing about 21 percent of the total.
The club’s presence is felt across multiple sections of the awards. In the main categories, Peter Mgangira is nominated for Coach of the Year while Festus Duwe is in contention for the Young Player of the Year award. In women’s football, Andrew Chikhosi is nominated for Coach of the Year, while Deborah Henry and Ireen Khumalo are among the contenders for Women’s Player of the Year.
Henry and Khumalo also feature prominently in the NBM Women’s Premiership awards where both are nominated in the Player of the Season category, with Khumalo also shortlisted for Defender of the Season.
Silver Strikers’ influence is equally visible in the FDH Bank Cup awards where goalkeeper George Chikooka and defender Maxwell Paipi are among the nominees. Their strong presence across both the men’s and women’s categories illustrates the club’s competitiveness and consistency throughout the season.
Meanwhile, a visit to COMESA Hall on Thursday afternoon showed that preparations for the ceremony are at an advanced stage, with the venue already being set up for the gala event.
FAM has also announced through its official Facebook page that the ceremony will feature live performances by local musicians Teddy Makadi, Malonie Kyz, Theresa Phondo and Qaso, adding an entertainment element to the night dedicated to celebrating Malawian football.
