Program Directors, Honourable Minister of Sports and Recreation, Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile, members of the board, distinguished guests, colleagues and fellow leaders in football, players, sponsors, supporters, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen good evening. I stand here before you this evening with an overwhelming sense of contentment, emotions, and pride as I reflect on the season we just completed. The 2004/05 season will be recorded in our history books as one of our most challenging and rewarding.

Tonight (Tuesday), we are all here to celebrate an awesome season, and it is dedicated to the players. All of the players and technical staff, and several supporters’ branches are being rewarded for their passion, commitment, and excellence.

This season the technical staff and players achieved under very difficult conditions, both physically and emotionally. Not only were we defending our PSL Championship, and playing in several cup competitions, we were also active in the CAF Champions League. From the onset our players were criticised and suffered abuse from a certain section of the media. In general statements were made about Kaizer Chiefs not having any chance to retain its League title. Specific reports aimed at some of our newly acquired young players stated that they were rejects. Despite our tough skins, this type of criticism can take an emotional toll on the team and individuals.

The difficult physical conditions the team endured were daunting at one point during our campaign. First of all, with the league matches, domestic cup games, and the CAF Champions League, we played more games than last season. There were a few times we had to play three games in a week, or we were travelling and playing in another African country at the beginning of the week, and then coming home to play at the end of that week. Also, but not to be overly critical of other countries, the grounds that some of the CAF champions clubs played on were in horrific conditions. We are very fortunate that no serious injuries occurred in the team.

This was a tightly contested league right to the end and it was important for us to win the league because successful clubs all over the world are measured by a benchmark, which is winning the league. I admire the spirit of the team, they showed character and the strength and they have done us all proud.

Having said that ladies and gentlemen history has repeated itself now as we have once again won the league in a very historic manner in the club’s history. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary in 2005.

So it is fitting that the country’s biggest club should ascend to the pile and win the league championship. As we witness these awards tonight, please remember that there are many people to thank after such a successful season. I must pay tribute to the coach Ted Dumitru, who together with the Technical team also suffered a lot of criticism from both media and fans.

This awards function this evening provides me a platform to commend all players and I also dedicate this league success and all our achievements this season, to our supporters who have supported us through thick and thin. They have remained loyal to the club over the years and never left us in difficult times, and for that they also deserve a round of applause………our supporters deserve this honour! It would not have been possible to achieve all this without their involvement, true support and dedication.

The management must also take credit for the role they played behind the scenes. As I said, football is a team sport and you cannot attribute this kind of success to just one individual. Another important ingredient of our success worth mentioning is the management’s decision of organizing and allowing the team to take part in the 2003 Peace Cup in South Korea. This was good and the results are there for everyone to see because the team came back stronger with the ability to compete at the highest level of the game. Most importantly it was a good team building exercise.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would be doing gross injustice if I do not mention our sponsors. They have been crucial in helping us create a team which I’m confident will dominate the local football over the next few years. They are associated with us because of our past success and winning the league, this year will enhance our status as the number one club in the country and one of the finest in Africa.

This season we took our brand into the rest of Africa through our participation in the CAF Champions League. We unfortunately had to pull out of the Confederations Cup due to fixture differences. Had we not taken this decision our league would have be affected and our games would have only been concluded at the end of June. It is important to make note that our future participation in the Champions League hangs in the balance pending CAF’s hearing.

In conclusion I want to thank my family, who have had to bear the brunt of my frustrations when we were denied the league title in the past seasons. They have been very supportive and have played a role in the successful management of the club.

To all awards nominees good luck and winners congratulations! We now have to consolidate our success by successfully defending the title. The preparations will begin with the Vodacom Challenge in July as soon as you make your return from your short holiday, then we will look into repeating last season’s achievements and performance.

To all those of you nominated for the Castle awards tomorrow, this and that includes you honourable members of the media, please welcome our wishes for your success.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and commend Pirates for making this season an exciting on. They held pole position for sometime, and their players showed dedication and great passion. Thank you to all the other teams in the league for displaying great football and adding to making this season a great one.

A big congratulates must go to Mr. Trevor Phillips and the PSL management for his outstanding leadership and his hard work in growing the PSL brand and running a good league.