Posted in News, Team News on Jun 02, 2017.
“This is a very emotional moment,” Siphiwe Tshabalala reacted after winning his third Kaizer Chiefs Player of the Season award on Thursday night. The midfielder previously won this prestigious honour for the 2008/2009 and 2011/2012 season.
The emotion he felt not only had to do with becoming Kaizer Chiefs’ best player for the third time, but also because it came at the back of a “disappointing season”.
“It would be selfish now to celebrate too much,” Shabba said, “I am only winning when the whole team is winning. That’s why I am accepting this award with a heavy heart, because it was a tough season in which we won no silverware.
“We, as players, need to take the blame. We let our Chairman down, we let our coach down, we let our supporters down, we let our families down and we let ourselves down.”
Tshabalala also became the Fan Player of the Season, the Top Goal Scorer of the Season (8 goals – seven league goals and one cup goal) and got the Goal of the Season award for his brilliantly taken free-kick in the 3-1 win over Free State Stars in February.
He won as well the Player of the Month award for April.
Shabba started this season in 20 league games, coming on as a substitute in four more, scoring seven goals and providing two assists for others to score. He also played in five cup games (four starts, one substitute), netting once.
The midfielder joined Amakhosi on 10 January 2007, although, due to an injury, he only started playing in the 2007/2008 season. So this was his tenth season wearing the Gold & Black jersey.
He’s presently 32-year-old, an age when many South African followers think a player is over the hill, despite footballers three or four years earlier still doing great in Europe at that age.
“Age doesn’t determine your destiny,” Shabba comments. “I believe that age is nothing but a number. When in a good space and keeping fit, I feel that I can play until the age of 40. John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu set a good example when it comes to that.”
The midfielder got R50 000 for becoming the Fan Player of the Season, which was sponsored by Vodacom as was the Player of the Season award (R100 000).
For the fan award, however, an additional amount will be handed over to Shabba to give to a charity of his choice. He has decided to use this for his own Siphiwe Tshabalala Foundation. Through this foundation, he aims to empower the youth by providing them with social life skills, encouraging self-development and offering education and other opportunities.
Tshabalala promised in a short speech to the Kaizer Chiefs Chairman, Kaizer Motaung, that the team will “win silverware next season. I strongly believe in ourselves as a team and our coach – we will get things right.”
He also had some words for the supporters: “We let you down, but you continued to come to our games. We highly value your support. We will take your criticism and, please be assured, we will bounce back next season.”
The emotion he felt not only had to do with becoming Kaizer Chiefs’ best player for the third time, but also because it came at the back of a “disappointing season”.
“It would be selfish now to celebrate too much,” Shabba said, “I am only winning when the whole team is winning. That’s why I am accepting this award with a heavy heart, because it was a tough season in which we won no silverware.
“We, as players, need to take the blame. We let our Chairman down, we let our coach down, we let our supporters down, we let our families down and we let ourselves down.”
Tshabalala also became the Fan Player of the Season, the Top Goal Scorer of the Season (8 goals – seven league goals and one cup goal) and got the Goal of the Season award for his brilliantly taken free-kick in the 3-1 win over Free State Stars in February.
He won as well the Player of the Month award for April.
Shabba started this season in 20 league games, coming on as a substitute in four more, scoring seven goals and providing two assists for others to score. He also played in five cup games (four starts, one substitute), netting once.
The midfielder joined Amakhosi on 10 January 2007, although, due to an injury, he only started playing in the 2007/2008 season. So this was his tenth season wearing the Gold & Black jersey.
He’s presently 32-year-old, an age when many South African followers think a player is over the hill, despite footballers three or four years earlier still doing great in Europe at that age.
“Age doesn’t determine your destiny,” Shabba comments. “I believe that age is nothing but a number. When in a good space and keeping fit, I feel that I can play until the age of 40. John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu set a good example when it comes to that.”
The midfielder got R50 000 for becoming the Fan Player of the Season, which was sponsored by Vodacom as was the Player of the Season award (R100 000).
For the fan award, however, an additional amount will be handed over to Shabba to give to a charity of his choice. He has decided to use this for his own Siphiwe Tshabalala Foundation. Through this foundation, he aims to empower the youth by providing them with social life skills, encouraging self-development and offering education and other opportunities.
Tshabalala promised in a short speech to the Kaizer Chiefs Chairman, Kaizer Motaung, that the team will “win silverware next season. I strongly believe in ourselves as a team and our coach – we will get things right.”
He also had some words for the supporters: “We let you down, but you continued to come to our games. We highly value your support. We will take your criticism and, please be assured, we will bounce back next season.”
