Patson Daka and Barbra Banda walked away with the 2023 Diamond TV Male and Female Sports Personality of the Year awards, respectively, during the ceremonious gala held on Thursday evening in Lusaka.
For the men’s category, Daka beat the likes of Fashion Sakala, Klings Kangwa, Muzala Samukonga, and Patrick Chinyemba to bag the award.
Meanwhile, Barbra Banda saw off competition from the likes of Rachael Kundananji, Margaret Belemu, and Jade Phiri to win the women’s accolade.
Why do fans back Sakala and Kundananji?
However, some fans and pundits believe other nominees were more deserving of the title, particularly Fashion Sakala and Rachael Kundananji.
Sakala scored 12 goals for Rangers FC last season, which was the most managed by a Zambian player overseas in club football. And since his transfer to Saudi Arabia, the tricky winger has recorded an impressive six goals and two assists in 12 Saudi Pro League appearances.
On the other hand, Rachael Kundananji set the world alight in the past 18 months. The 23-year-old has registered over 40 goals for club and country since last season, including an ice-cold finish in the FIFA Women’s World Cup against Costa Rica. She currently tops the Golden Boot race this season in Liga F with five goals.
Patson has only managed to score one goal for Leicester City this year, compared to his seven goals for Chipolopolo in the same period.
In contrast, Barbra has enjoyed an impressive return for both club and country this year, with 14 and 11 goals, respectively. However, the level of football in the Chinese women’s league is not on par with that of the Spanish, where Kundananji plies her trade.
This has left many football aficionados debating whether Daka and Banda were more deserving winners than Sakala and Kundananji.
Wiza Musongole wrote, “Fashion Sakala deserved this award. I don’t know what criteria was used but any way lol . I feel like we don’t give FS10 his flowers….. we need to move away from emotions and reward hard work.”
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Reacting to Barbra Banda’s win, Abellister El added, “This was supposed to be for Rachael Kundananji.”
