MEDIA RELEASE
Football Association of Malawi has released a list of nominees for the 2024 Castel Challenge Cup individual players’ awards.
The four awards up for grabs are the Player of the Tournament, Discovery of the Tournament, Best Goalkeeper and Top goal scorer.
Mighty wanderers Striker Clement Nyondo already emerged as the competition top goal scorer after netting 13 goals.
Nyondo will compete for Player of the Tournament award with his teammate Isaac Kaliati and Mzuzu City Hammers shot stopper Chancy Mtete.
Precious Masamba, his teammate Geoffrey Sumani, and MMF Marine striker Isaac Kondowe have been nominated for the Discovery of the Tournament award.
The three nominees for the goalkeeper of the tournament are Chancy Mtete of Mzuzu City Hammers, Mighty Wanderers stopper William Thole and Precious Masamba of Panthers.
The winners will be crowned the inaugural Malawi Annual Football Awards, set to take place on February 21, 2025, at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre.
Player of the Tournament
Name: Clement Nyondo
Position: Striker
Club: Mighty Wanderers
Number of games Played: 6
Number of games started: 6
Total Minutes played: 495
Goals: 13
Clement Nyondo was one of the ever-present players for Wanderers as they won Castel Challenge Cup in 2024. He started all the six games scoring 13 goals in five matches. He finished as top scorer in the competition guiding the nomads to the title.
Name: Issac Kaliati
Position: Midfielder
Club: Mighty Wanderers
Number of games Played: 6
Number of games started: 6
Total Minutes played: 437
Goals: 4
Isaac Kaliati played all the six matches for Wanderers as they won the title. Kaliati who had wonderful 2024 season scored four goals in the Castel Challenge cup as he finished as the team’s leading scorer in all competitions.
Name: Chancy Mtete
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Mzuzu City Hammers
Number of games Played: 5
Number of games started: 5
Total Minutes played: 395
Clean sheets: 4
Mzuzu City Hammers defied all odds to reach the final of the Castel Challenge cup which was their second National Cup Final appearance after the 2021 FDH Bank Cup. One of the key performers was goalkeeper Mtete who played all the five matches and was unbeaten in four of them. He was the hero in the semi-final as they eliminated defending champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets keeping a clean sheet in regulation time forcing the match into post-match penalties wherever saved two spot kicks to inspire his side to the final.
Goalkeeper of the Tournament
Name: Chancy Mtete
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Mzuzu City Hammers
Number of games Played: 5
Number of games started: 5
Total Minutes played: 395
Clean sheets: 4
(Brief as above)
Name: Precious Masamba
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Panthers FC
Number of games Played: 4
Number of games started: 4
Total Number of Minutes played: 360
Clean sheets: 2
Panthers had an exciting run in the 2024 Castel Challenge Cup as they were the only non- Super League side to reach the semi-finals. Their achievement was not by fluke or mere lucky of the draw as they proved to be giant killers after eliminating four Super League clubs along the way. They beat MAFCO in R64, Silver Strikers in R 32, Chitipa United in R16 and Civil Service united in quarterfinals. They won all the four matches on post-match penalties and Masamba was the hero deciding all the matches. He saved two penalties against Chitipa and Civo and one against Silver.
Name: William Thole
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Mighty Wanderers
Number of games Played: 5
Number of games started: 5
Total Number of Minutes played: 450
Clean sheets: 4
After missing the opening round of 64 match, Thole went on to play all the five matches from round of 32 all the way to the final and conceded only one goal. With Wanderers facing a round of 16 elimination scare against Creck Sporting Club, Thole took matters in his own hands when he saved two penalties and scored one as the Nomads triumphed on post-match penalties.
Discovery of the season
Name: Precious Masamba
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Panthers FC
Number of games Played: 4
Number of games started: 4
Total Number of Minutes played: 360
Clean sheets: 2
(Brief as above)
Name: Geoffrey Sumani
Position: Midfielder
Club: Panthers
Number of games Played: 5
Number of games started:5
Total Number of Minutes played:450
Sumani was another driving force in Panthers exciting run in the Competition as they reached the semi-finals. He showed responsibility in taking and scoring all last winning penalties in the matches against MAFCO, Silver Strikers, Chitipa United and Civo.
Name: Isaac Kondowe
Position: Striker
Club: MMF Marine
Number of games Played: 4
Number of games started: 2
Total Minutes played: 255
Goals: 3
Apart from Panthers, Southern Region Football League Premier Division MMF Marine was another lower League side that had a good run in the competition as they reached the quarterfinals where they lost to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets. Striker Isaac Kondowe was one of their star performers as he scored three goals to guide Marine to the last eight.
ENDS-
For further information please contact:
FAM Communications Department
Email: communications@fam.mw
