The nominees for the category of the Men’s Most Promising Player at the inaugural 2023 COSAFA Awards have been unveiled.
The winner will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in Durban on April 19, with a panel of judges from across the region having assessed their performances for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2023.
The category is for players aged 20 or under in 2023 and covers their form for club and country. The three nominees are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Miguel Chaiwa (Young Boys & Zambia) – The midfielder was 18 at the start of 2023 played a role in helping Swiss side Young Boys to the league title in 2022/23 and has made four appearances in the UEFA Champions League this season, all in 2023, including against Manchester City. He was part of the Zambia squad that qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations but did not play for the senior national team last year.
Thapelo Maseko (SuperSport United/Mamelodi Sundowns & South Africa) – Left-winger Maseko had his breakthrough season in 2022/23, which earned him a move from SuperSport United to Mamelodi Sundowns in July 2023. He was an instant hit and became a regular with the South Africa national team as they qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations. Maseko scored the winner against Al Ahly in the semifinals of the African Football League as Sundowns lifted the trophy.
Gift Mphande (Atletico Lusaka/Hapoel Rishon LeZion & Zambia) – The centre-back was on loan at Israeli side Hapoel Rishon LeZion in the second half of 2023 and became an instant regular in the topflight in that country. It is form that earned him a call-up to the senior Zambia national team for their World Cup qualifiers in November. He caught the eye as a member of the Zambia side at the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in early 2023.
The judging panel from across the 14 member nations that make up COSAFA are renowned for their knowledge of Southern African football and are as follows:
Houssamidine Ben Ahmed (Comoros), Ivan Capuepue (Angola), Rob Delport (South Africa), Gerard Govinden (Seychelles), Peter Kanjere (Malawi), Jesse Kauraisa (Namibia), Kagiso Kgaogano (Botswana), Sibusiso Masilela (Eswatini), Sandra Mwila (Zambia), Boitelo Radebe (Lesotho), Heriniaina Samson (Madagascar), Benoit Thomas (Mauritius), Steve Vickers (Zimbabwe) and Raimundo Zandamela (Mozambique).
