Andile Jali Joins Mamelodi Sundowns

Former Orlando Pirates dynamite midfielder, Andile Jali, has returned to the Absa Premiership, only this time he’s joining newly crowned champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Jali has penned a five-year contract with Bafana ba style, which stretches to 2023, and will be reuniting with some of his former teammates including Oupa Manyisa, whom he formed a formidable partnership with while they were both still at Pirates. This move comes at the back of Jali’s stint with Belgian side KV Oostende, where he played for four seasons. The 28-year old midfielder became a free agent at the start of the year after his team agreed to terminate his contract.

Jali had been linked with a return to Orlando Pirates, where is glittering career began. Arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs were also in the running for the midfielder’s signature in their bid to beef up their midfield contingent. However, “Mhlekazi” as he’s affectionately known in the South African football streets,  seems to have settled the speculation with the announcement that he has joined the shoe shine and piano boys for the next five seasons.

Perhaps what will be more interesting is how coach Pitso Mosimane tries to accommodate Jali in Sundown’s already star-studded midfield comprising the likes of Hlompho Kekana, Themba Zwane, and Tiyani Mabunda. Will Jali break into Sundowns starting eleven? Will he improve Bafana ba style? Only time will tell.

In his own words speaking to Sundowns’ official website, Jali alluded, “I feel good to have signed for Mamelodi Sundowns. At last this deal is done. It’s been dragging for a long time. Now I can relax before the season starts. I have recovered from the injury, I am good to go. I passed the medicals. Now I am ready for Sundowns to tell me when to come to training.”

FT Best African XI: CM - Naby Keita

The 2017/18 season was as entertaining as any. Our African players took the European leagues by storm once more as they were taught by the legends who left a mark in these leagues as early as the 1970s. Most definitely, Mo Salah has been the talk of the town for his remarkable contribution to his club, Liverpool both in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. In this piece, we are looking at the best African players to have played this season by each position and see who deserves to rub shoulders with the Egyptian King in the Starting XI. Here are our FT 2017/18 African Players of the Year lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

CM - Naby Keita [RB Leipzig & Guinea]

RB Leipzig’s Naby Keita is another midfielder who had a great individual season. The Guinea international is known for his creative prowess. The player scored 10 goals and provided 7 assists in the German Bundesliga this season but this was not enough to secure his team a European spot for next season. His pending move to Liverpool is set to be completed on the 1st of June when the transfer window officially opens. The player has drawn comparisons from players like Iniesta and Xavi of Spain who is considered to be Legends of the game. He is just 23 years of age and is ready to test himself in the most competitive league in the world. His national team, however, is miles away from being a competitive team and he has so much responsibility if he is to one day lead them to a qualification to the FIFA World Cup. For now, he will have to watch the aforementioned players this year in Russia.

Croatia Teaches Senegal a Lesson in Final World Cup Friendly

After losing to Brazil in their previous game, Croatia redeemed herself by beating Senegal 2-1 in a friendly game that took place on the 8th of June.

I really understand the need for friendly matches. I know that they are the best way to prepare teams before a major tournament like the World Cup. My concern is what are the implications of a friendly game on the losing team? For a team like Senegal that has qualified for the World Cup, the taste of loss has not been very present in its mouth, hence, losing in a friendly match just before the main tournament can be a shock. It might make a team question its potential. Most importantly, it might discourage the fans that have enjoyed the pleasure of screaming after every game.  At the end of the day, a friendly match can be the reason why a team takes a dented team spirit and suffocating confidence to the main game.

However, soccer is not just about kicking the ball, but it is a character engineering mechanism. It teaches some good character traits such as resilience. It is such friendly matches that remind us that, as Africans, we believe that nothing beats a growth mindset and we African fans are rallying behind Senegal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Senegal are grateful to Croatia for helping us identify our mistakes. Sadio Mane and his squad will work on them and we will be ready for the tournament!

Yaya Toure says Pep Guardiola 'often has problems with Africans'

Ivorian born midfielder, Yaya Toure says the Man City boss, Pep Guardiola, looks beyond a player’s ability and technique in kicking the ball but is also particular about the color of the skin. A player’s color of the skin then determines the respect that he affords a specific player. What a bold claim!

Toure said, “Guardiola often has problems with Africans." This is a statement that reflects the kind of negative attitude that African players receive under his coaching. Initially, Toure thought that the treatment he was receiving was because of ‘jealousy’ since he has been more influential than the Spanish born manager during his playing career. But later, the possibility of this being due to the color of his skin then struck him upon further reflection on how he had managed other players from the African continent in the past. These claims have unsurprisingly been met by silence from Man City because Toure’s claims are far too bold for any club to comment on unless they have more information. The club is at crossroads because they want to maintain their relationship with Guardiola who successfully guided Manchester City to the EPL crown this May as well as supporting their club legend, Toure.

Toure believes that the inequality that can easily be accredited to Pep's origin at City has gone on for far too long that he wants to be the one to break it off. It is surprising that such discussions about inequality due to one’s origin in soccer still exist after so much progress has been made. It is easy to assume that the progression of society in one sphere of life can be seen in another sphere, such as football, but such stories have proven otherwise.

FT In Our Corner: The World's Game

My interest in soccer is not really in the individual skills of a player. From what I have seen, all soccer players are skilled because running and kicking at the same time is not an easy task. It requires someone with a great head-to-leg coordination to master the art of playing the sport. My greatest interest has always been how it has evolved beyond being a game to a unifying mechanism. One of the greatest stories that I came across was a story of a BBC Outlook Inspiration nominee, Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan who has used soccer to fight tribal tensions in the area that she grew up in. When in the game, people look beyond their origins and look at the collaborative nature of the game.
 

In multi-tribal countries like Nigeria, one of the great times when the country would stand united is when they stand behind its national team as Nigerians. At that point, the victory of the team is glory to everyone, and not to certain tribal fragments. On a much grander scale, the whole world is anticipating the 2018 World Cup more than ever. If you ask a 5th grader about where the last UN Summit was, they will most probably scratch their head, but if you ask them about where the World Cup is, they will not forget that the whole world will be united in Russia in a few days. Again, soccer is uniting us.
 

FT 2017/18 Best African XI: CDM - Thomas Partey

The 2017/18 season was as entertaining as any. Our African players took the European leagues by storm once more as they were taught by the legends who left a mark in these leagues as early as the 1970s. Most definitely, Mo Salah has been the talk of the town for his remarkable contribution to his club, Liverpool both in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. In this piece, we are looking at the best African players to have played this season by each position and see who deserves to rub shoulders with the Egyptian King in the Starting XI. Here are our FT 2017/18 African Players of the Year lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

CDM - Thomas Partey [Atletico Madrid & Ghana]

Atletico Madrid defensive midfielder Thomas Teye Partey had a great season playing for the Spanish club. The Ghanaian has grown to become an important player in the starting lineup of the Madrid club where he contributed both defensively as well as instigating attacks to the opposition. Thomas predominantly plays as a DM but his versatility allows him to cover up in the right-back or even centre-back positions when his teammates are injured or need to be rested. He played 53 games across all competitions this season where his performances helped his team to a UEFA Europa League trophy as well as a second placed finish in the La Liga ahead of Real Madrid. Partey’s closest competitor in this position is Wilfred Ndidi of Nigeria who had an amazing season with Leicester as well but just fell short when comparing him to the outstanding Ghanian. None of these players will be at the grandest football tournament in June so the summer will probably be filled with transfer speculations because they really are good players being sought after by bigger clubs.

FT World Cup News: Racism Concerns Come to the Fore

“In the fight against racism, I am with you all the way,” Duke of Edinburgh promises England.

As the World Cup draws closer, Prince William has allayed English players’ racism concerns. He promised the team that even though he will not be there in person to support them, should they face any racism concerns, he will be ready to support them. This reassuring statement was given at West Riding County Football in Leeds before their friendly game against Costa Rica. He was quoted as saying that he “will come down on it like a ton of bricks”. Now we know that the players will not only be carrying their soccer boots to Russia on Tuesday but they will also be carrying the Prince’s support in their hearts too.

What happens to countries that do not have a Prince behind them? FIFA is making strides in protecting all players against racism in football by enacting policies that make the game inclusive for players of any skin color. For example, the 2013 FIFA Congress gave birth to a tripartite system that aims to eradicate racism through educating, preventing and sanctioning. This is one of the anti-racism approaches that we believe will continue to triumph. As the world’s eyeballs turn towards the world’s biggest nation for the World Cup, we, like the Prince, wish for no racial incidents.

FT 2017/18 Best African XI: RM - Wilfred Zaha

The 2017/18 season was as entertaining as any. Our African players took the European leagues by storm once more as they were taught by the legends who left a mark in these leagues as early as the 1970s. Most definitely, Mo Salah has been the talk of the town for his remarkable contribution to his club, Liverpool both in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. In this piece, we are looking at the best African players to have played this season by each position and see who deserves to rub shoulders with the Egyptian King in the Starting XI. Here are our FT 2017/18 African Players of the Year lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

RM - Wilfred Zaha [Crystal Palace & Ivory Coast]

The Crystal Palace winger has once again proved that he is the top player in English Premier League this season. Crystal Palace were in the relegation zone this season until the Ivory Coast player returned from injury and guided his team to safety. He scored 9 goals and assisted 3 in the process but these numbers do not do justice to his importance in the team. Sometimes the player is used to distract and subtract three to four players at one go and get his teammates some free space to score goals. Keita Balde of Senegal had a great season at Monaco this season but was just edged out by the 25-year old’s contribution in just 29 English Premier League games. Zaha seems to have matured ever since he returned to Crystal Palace from his short stint at Manchester United. Many rumors are suggesting that he could once again make a big move but this time to Tottenham who are looking for quality players to compete for trophies.

FT Top 10 World Cup Snub: Honorary Mention - Leroy Sane

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Leroy Sane - Germany

Most arguably the biggest omission of them all. Leroy Sane, one of the best players in Manchester City’s title-winning squad, has been left out of the German team to compete at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. No one could have predicted that he would not make it having scored 14 goals and contributing 17 assists in the most competitive league in the world, the English Premier League. He also won PFA Young Player of the Year. Surely, Joachim Low has made a big decision that could backfire against him. He prefers Brandt and Draxler who have a combined 16 goals and 9 assists in the 2017/18 season. Clearly, these two are not on the 22-year old’s level which leaves us wondering. Why is it that he has been dropped out of that German squad? We need answers!

FT 2017/18 Best African XI: LCB – Medhi Benatia

The 2017/18 season was as entertaining as any. Our African players took the European leagues by storm once more as they were taught by the legends who left a mark in these leagues as early as the 1970s. Most definitely, Mo Salah has been the talk of the town for his remarkable contribution to his club, Liverpool both in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. In this piece, we are looking at the best African players to have played this season by each position and see who deserves to rub shoulders with the Egyptian King in the Starting XI. Here are our FT 2017/18 African Players of the Year lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

LCB – Medhi Benatia [Juventus & Morrocco]

Another defensive rock in Benatia, he plies his trade in the Italian Serie A. This league is known for being the most tactical with disciplined sides who are hard to score against. In such a league, another African stands out in being one of the best defenders in the 2017/18 season. Benatia of Juventus played 34 games for both club and country this season. He played a part in their club’s UEFA Champions League run that was ended by Real Madrid in the quarterfinals. The Moroccan defender will be leading his team from the back at the FIFA World Cup tournament hosted by Russia next month. He will be under a lot of pressure to shut out all the attacks by the opponents. Will his team make it all the way to the final and win it?

FT 2017/18 Best African XI: CB – Kalidou Koulibaly

The 2017/18 season was as entertaining as any. Our African players took the European leagues by storm once more as they were taught by the legends who left a mark in these leagues as early as the 1970s. Most definitely, Mo Salah has been the talk of the town for his remarkable contribution to his club, Liverpool both in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. In this piece, we are looking at the best African players to have played this season by each position and see who deserves to rub shoulders with the Egyptian King in the Starting XI. Here are our FT 2017/18 African Players of the Year lined up in a 3-5-2 formation

CB – Kalidou Koulibaly [Napoli & Senegal]

The centre-back has been at his best in recent years and had another wonderful season with his club Napoli who gave Juventus a run for their money in the Italian Serie A. Koulibaly was at the heart of the defense in a season where they came close to winning the league to end the 7-year reign of the Old Ladies. The 26-year-old Senegalese midfielder is once again a transfer target for the biggest clubs in Europe to prove how much of a great talent he is. It would not be surprising to see him joining Arsenal, Manchester United or even Real Madrid this summer after playing 45 times across all competitions. He scored 5 times and provided an assist on top of his defensive duties which makes him a great threat and asset on both ends of the pitch. Kalidou is going to the FIFA World Cup as well this year. Will he have a great tournament with a team that looks strong on paper?

.

FT 2017/18 Best African XI: RCB - Hamdi Nagguez

The 2017/18 season was as entertaining as any. Our African players took the European leagues by storm once more as they were taught by the legends who left a mark in these leagues as early as the 1970s. Most definitely, Mo Salah has been the talk of the town for his remarkable contribution to his club, Liverpool both in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. In this piece, we are looking at the best African players to have played this season by each position and see who deserves to rub shoulders with the Egyptian King in the Starting XI. Here are our FT 2017/18 African Players of the Year lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

RCB - Hamdi Nagguez [Tunisia & Zamalek SC]

A disappointing season from the ever-present Serge Aurier meant that the right-back spot would be up for grabs. Victor Moses who was predominantly used in the right wing-back position last season by Antonio Conte lost his place in the Chelsea lineup as the manager was trying new tactics. He later returned to the team but it was already too late. Hamdi Nagguez of Tunisia who plays for Zamalek in Africa had already done enough to deserve a place among the best African Players of the 2017/18 season. The 25-year old was solid in the position for the greater part of the season and also contributed 6 assists to his teammates. Thumbs up to the Tunisian who is going to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. It would be a great opportunity for him to test himself against the world’s best.

FT 2017/18 Best African XI: GK - Itumeleng Khune

The 2017/18 season was as entertaining as any. Our African players took the European leagues by storm once more as they were taught by the legends who left a mark in these leagues as early as the 1970s. Most definitely, Mo Salah has been the talk of the town for his remarkable contribution to his club, Liverpool both in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. In this piece, we are looking at the best African players to have played this season by each position and see who deserves to rub shoulders with the Egyptian King in the Starting XI. Here are our FT 2017/18 African Players of the Year lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

GK - Itumeleng Khune [South Africa & Kaizer Chiefs]

First up, we have the South African goalkeeper as our No. 1. Quite surprising to see that the Amakhosi goalkeeper is just 30 years old having represented Kaizer Chiefs for the longest time. If you do not know him then it is important to mention he is one of the best distributors of the ball in the whole world. Khune is also one of the Legends in the making to join the list that includes Vincent Enyeama and El-Hadary. In the 2017/18 season, the experienced Khune had 20 shutouts (clean sheets) in 4 competitions. This is thanks to his reflexes, shot stopping abilities as well as his defensive organization at the back. He has the voice to command the backline and deserves a place in FT 2017/18 African XI. By far, the best African goalkeeper this season.

FT Top 10 World Cup Snub: #2 - Alexander Lacazette

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Alexander Lacazette - France

Alexander Lacazette has reasons to be extremely disappointed as he will not be flying to Russia with the French National Team to play in the World Cup this summer. After making a triumphant return with Arsenal following a mid-season knee injury, his goals helped guide Arsenal to the UEFA Europa League Final. French manager, Didier Deschamps, pointed to Lacazette perhaps not impressing him over the last two years as opposed to his recent form. During the last international friendlies, Lacazette and Anthony Martial were both decisive players and Lacazette scored against Germany. Nevertheless, a massive snub indeed, and some of the French media have focused on the fact that Deschamps has chosen more versatile attackers that are capable of playing in multiple positions and tactically assuming multiple roles. Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, and Antoine Griezmann are most likely the starting attacking players and with players like Nabil Fekir and Ousmane Dembele also in the 23-man group, France certainly may not regret Lacazette’s absence.

FT Fashion and Football: Wilfred Zaha

Most of the times, the average soccer fan focuses on the day-to-day status of their favorite club’s business. This usually means concentrating on match results, previews, transfer news, and debates on which player is better than the next. That’s where FirstTouch Africa comes in and opens your eyes to some of the things that happen because of football. We are talking about fashion. The crazy hair-cuts and luxurious lifestyles of your star players are what we are going to shed some light on in this season-end.

The Crystal Palace star, Wilfred Zaha is first up on our list of the most fashionable players of African descent. He is popular in his squad for his heroic efforts in almost single-handedly rescuing his team from the drop in the English Premier League 2017/18 season. The club is guaranteed one more season in the top flight competition. But what has the club managed to do for the player? He can now afford a fancy lifestyle in England when he is not representing the Ivory Coast, the national team. The player is one of the few people who used to get a haircut EVERY day before he started growing his dreadlocked Mohawk. Yes, that’s right. He had the patience to sit down for a fresh cut which he says, “A haircut will take me from a 5 to a 10.” Nowadays he probably has someone to work on his fade while still maintaining his dreadlocks. Apart from that, the Ivorian winger has a pretty dope car collection. He owns a Lamborghini Aventador, Gallardo, Mercedes G63 AMG, Porsche Cayenne among others. He has also created a clothing line called Long Live. What more do you need when you are on a £110,000-a-week contract?

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: LW - Percy Tau [Mamelodi Sundowns]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

LW - Percy Tau

The only player to make it on our list of the next transcendent players while playing in the continent of Africa is Percy Tau. The 23-year old has been the star of the show in the South African Premier Soccer League in recent years. The South African player has been likened to Premier League stars such as Sadio Mane with former football legends like El Hadji Diouf claiming that he is better than the Senegalese forward who plays for Liverpool. If you want to know more about this player, you can read an article we shared about his heroic performances for Mamelodi Sundowns who recently played against Barcelona on Wednesday, 15 May 2018.

Liberian President’s son, Weah, scores debut goal for USA

PSG forward, Timothy Weah opened his USA goals account with a cool 58th-minute finish after receiving a cross from Everton’s Antonee Robinson. It was the 18-year-old’s second appearance for The Stars and the Stripes and his full international senior debut after coming on as a late substitute in his first match where the USA won 1-0 over Paraguay in a March friendly.

Timothy’s goal was amongst three scored by a young USA team averaging 22-years-old that scooped a clean 3-0 victory over Bolivia. The team’s setup is largely seen as a rebuilding exercise for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after the North American nation failed to qualify for this year’s finals in Russia. Weah was born in New York City to the African legendary footballer, George Weah and has since appeared for USA Under-14, 15 and 17 teams. He has opted to play for USA full-time other than the country of his parents birth where his father currently serves as President.

His father, George Weah, who still is the only African player to have won the FIFA World Player of The Year and Ballon D’Or award has also hinted on interest to back the join USA, Mexico and Canada bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup against fellow African nation Morocco’s request.

PSL Awards: Tau crowned king and could Siphesihle Ndlovu follow his footsteps?

Inarguably the name that has dominated the South African football media throughout the 2017/18 campaign is at it again, this time with a few accolades besides it. Rightfully so, if you ask me. Percy Tau was the biggest winner on Tuesday night at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg where the ABSA Premiership Awards Gala was held. The 24-year-old was received the top two awards in South African football, the prestigious Footballer Of The Season Award and the Players’ Player Of The Season. He also shared the money with Polokwane City’s Rodney Ramagelela for the Top Scorer Award after banging striking eleven times for the PSL Champions, Mamelodi Sundowns. The Sundowns talisman will most likely be nominated for the CAF awards at the end of the year and rumors linking him to European clubs might not be far off now. The Mesut Ozil-like assist that he dished out to Sibusiso Vilakazi in their friendly against Barcelona shows glimpses of his quality and El Hadji Diouf’s praises and prophecy might come true after all.

On the contrary, not much has been said about Maritzburg United’s young playmaker, Siphesihle Ndlovu. The 21-year-old midfielder capped off his breakthrough the season by also getting a brace on the night, winning the ABSA Premiership Young Player Of The Season and the Midfielder Of The Season Awards. Ever since he joined the Team of Choice as the child, graduating from the ball-boy role, he has been on the up. At the time, they actually nicknamed him “Mbesuma,” after the former PSL Top Goal Scorer, Collins Mbesuma. Ndlovu became the first Maritzburg United player to win the ABSA Premiership Player Of The Month in January 2018 and went on to steer the team to a fourth-place finish. Leading up to the awards night, the youngster opened up on the reason behind his success:

I've never thought I could be nominated so soon, but also I think that anything is possible in this world‚ and that if you perform when you give 100 percent in every game‚ you're always focused‚ then anything can happen to you. From last season I was trying to make my way into Maritzburg‚ then when this season started the coach made me believe that I'm one of the best players in the world.” - Siphesihle Ndlovu, Maritzburg United

He received his first call to the Bafana Bafana camp in March 2018 for the Four Nations Tournament. Young Ndlovu is an exciting prospect that will surely turn heads in a few months time.

Here is the full list of all winners for the 2017/18 ABSA Premiership Season:

FOOTBALLER OF THE SEASON:

Percy Tau (Mamelodi Sundowns) — (USD)$ 19,960

ABSA Premiership Player’s Player of the Season:

Percy Tau (Mamelodi Sundowns) — (USD)$ 15,970

ABSA Premiership Coach of the Season:

Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns) — (USD)$ 5,990

ABSA Premiership Young Player of the Season:

Siphesihle Ndlovu (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season:

Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Defender of the Season:

Siyanda Xulu (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Midfielder of the Season:

Siphesihle Ndlovu (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Goal of the Season:

Siphelele Magubane (L. Golden Arrows) — (USD) $ 4,000

MTN8 LAST MAN STANDING:

Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United) — (USD) $6,390

TELKOM KNOCKOUT PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT:

Amr Gamal (Bidvest Wits) — (USD) $ 15,970

NEDBANK CUP: Player of the Tournament:

Lebohang Maboe (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 11,980

NEDBANK CUP: Most Promising Player

Lebohang Maboe (Maritzburg United) — (USD)$ 4,000

MULTICHOICE Diski Challenge Precious Find:

Siboniso Conco (L. Golden Arrows) — (USD)$ 2,400

MULTICHOICE Diski Shield Precious Find:(USD) $ 11,980

Itumeleng Shopane (Kaizer Chiefs) — (USD)$ 2,400

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee of the Season — (USD)$ 4,000

Assistant Referee of the Season — (USD) $ 3,200