12 Apr 2018

The 2018 Mascom Top 8 awards have come and gone and Township Rollers were the toast of the night during the glitz and glamour red carpet event that officially marked the end of season 7 of the Mascom Top 8 campaign.

Besides bagging the prestigious Mascom Top 8 trophy and P1.3 million in cash,  Popa won all but one individual award being the Yellow Boot award that went to Gaborone United’s Obonye Maome.

After guiding his team to its second Mascom Top 8 trophy and  match GU’s record for the most Mascom Top 8 trophies won, Rollers’ Serbian gaffer, Nikola Kavazovic walked away with the coach of the tournament beating former Orapa United assistant coach, Daniel Nare and Jwaneng Galaxy’s, Matshidiso Moseki.

In the battle of goalkeepers, Rollers’ Keeagile Kgosipula saw off Orapa United’s Mosimagape Robert and Jwaneng Galaxy’s Ezekiel Morake to claim the safe hands of the tournament trophy in a tightly contested catergory.

Kgosipula only conceded five goals in the five games that Popa played to claim the trophy.

To further mark their dominance on the night, Rollers added the number one player award to their haul through their captain, Maano Ditshupo. The player of the tournament award pitted the cream dela cream of the local football scene in Kobamelo Kebaikanye of Orapa United and Gilbert Baruti of Jwaneng Galaxy FC.

Ditshupo has been instrumental in Rollers’ campaign and made the starting lineup of all Rollers games this far. He is also not a new comer to the Mascom Top 8 player of the tournament award as he previously won it in the season five campaign.

Other winners on the night included referee, Lekgotla Johannes and assistant referee, Botsalo Mosimanewatlala who went away with the number one referee and the number one assistant referee respectively.

Speaking during the award ceremony, Mascom chief executive officer, Jose Vieira Couceiri said the tournament had since its inception made strides in the game of football in Botswana, as teams continued to prosper and became even bigger household names.

He said Mascom remained committed to redefining the image and perception of Botswana football, adding that Mascom Top 8 was where dreams were made.

The success of the tournament, he said, could not be mentioned without the dedication and commitment of all stakeholders, particularly the participating teams that always ensured that supporters got value for their money. ENDS