HERENTALS Soccer Star of the Year finalist Tinotenda Benza (pictured) continued to reap rewards of an impressive season after he received his Chibuku Super Cup Golden Boot accolade at a ceremony in Harare yesterday.
Benza was one of the standout players for The Students who reached the final of the country’s premier knockout competition before they lost to Bulawayo Chiefs.
His two goals helped the club reach their first cup final since they joined topflight football in 2018.
The event, held at Motor Action Sports Club, was attended by Premier Soccer League officials led by chief executive Kenny Ndebele, while football legend and Black Rhinos coach Stanford Mutizwa was also a guest.
Competitions manager Elisha Mandireva presented the award to the young forward.
“Personally, I am very grateful for the award, but I want to do better next season to get more awards. It has been a great season, we finished top 10 in the league and making it to the Chibuku final is a great achievement for Herentals even though we didn’t win the final, but next year we will push to win everything,” Benza told journalists.
He will also be one of the best 11 players in the just-ended season at today’s PSL Awards ceremony.
Club owner and striker Innocent Benza, who became the country’s oldest player to play in a cup final at the age of 50 years when he featured in the Chibuku final, was pleased with his son Tino’s achievement.
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“The feeling is so difficult to explain to anyone. I am so happy because he has been working very hard. But I am also happy with the overall performance of the team and I am also very happy with the commitment of the coaches and the management.
“It’s an exceptional achievement to finish second in the Chibuku Super Cup, eighth in the league, not forgetting D1 and D2 they finished second in their respective leagues. Our Queens were also champions.
“I am happy, but not yet satisfied, so come 2023, I am expecting greater things from Tino, greater things from the Queens as well as D1 and D2. We are aiming for bigger things.”
Ndebele praised Herentals for their achievements, while also encouraging the executive to consider establishing a state-of-the-art football academy.
