You just gotta love Herentals

HERENTALS can as well qualify to be the team of the season.

They were facing nearer to certain demotion from the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League in 2019 with just two games to play.

They did what they needed to do and survived by the skin of their teeth.

But that was before some catastrophic match-fixing allegations were raised against them by Black Rhinos.

They were on their way out of the league. But, the PSL Disciplinary Committee’s decision was overturned by the ZIFA Appeals Committee who noted flaws, irregularities and inconsistencies in the case.

And for a team which survived all that to have rediscovered themselves, in a spectacular fashion and challenge for the country’s premium knockout tournament, the Chibuku Super Cup which they lost in controversial circumstances in the final, is the stuff that makes legendary clubs.

They also spent the better part of the season floating near the top-four in the league before eventually finishing in the top eight.

They were so impressive even their coach Kumbirai Mutuwekuziva missed the Coach of the Year gong narrowly to FC Platinum’s Norman Mapeza whose team won the league title.

One of Herentals star players, Tino Benza, made the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Stars of the Year calendar.

He was so popular with selectors and fans fittingly voted him their Player of the Year.

The 21-year-old forward became the first player to be voted the best by the fans, who are widely regarded as the owners of the game in a season he scored four goals and provided 12 assists.

In a country where fans are generally attached to the players from the teams they back, one would have thought Frank Makarati of Dynamos and Divine Mhindirira of Highlanders would bag that one with relative ease or CAPS United’s William Manondo.

But, the fans overwhelmingly selected Benza as the best amongst the 11 Soccer Stars selected by journalists, club captains and coaches.

The lanky player, who made his Premiership debut with the Students in 2018, was also the Chibuku Super Cup Golden Boot winner with two goals.

And he is likely to win his club’s Player of the Year gong when Herentals, for the first time, hold an annual award ceremony at Motor Action Sports Club in Harare today.

It is set to be the biggest award ceremony by a single football club in Zimbabwe as the institution will owner players from four of their professional teams.

The Herentals Group of Colleges and Schools-owned football clubs include the PSL team, a first division side which finished as runners-up in the Ruyamuro Service Stations Northern Region Division One Soccer League, a second division team which finished third in the Harare Division 2B league as well as the champions of the Women’s Super League team, Herentals Queens.

Outstanding players from all the four teams will be rewarded at one go in Harare today.

Herentals chairman, Tafadzwa Benza, told The Herald his institution has decided to honour outstanding players after a fruitful season.

“At Herentals, we take football seriously and as we go, we are trying to run it as a business. All players from all our four teams will get a bonus and we will also be rewarding outstanding performers for the season 2022-2023,” said Benza.

“We thrive for excellence and this is part of our mantra towards achieving our goals as Herentals College.

“We have decided to reward everyone. We cannot reward those in the PSL and leave out the girls or those playing in the lower division.