It wasn’t a good evening for Zambia’s hopes at the 2016 CAF Awards Gala in Abuja on Thursday.
Zambia captain Rainford Kalaba and Zesco United both left Nigeria empty handed from their respective nominations of this years CAF awards.
Kalaba lost out to Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango for the 2016 African-based player award.
His eight goals that inspired TP Mazembe to their debut CAF Confederation Cup win in 2016 were not enough to earn him the award in a tournament he also finished as top scorer.
This was Kalaba third nomination for the same award.
Onyango also had a great year inspiring Mamelodi Sundowns to their debut victory in the 2016 CAF Champions League.
But most importantly the Ugandan eclipsed Kalaba after conceding just two goals in six games for The Cranes in the 2017 Africa Cup qualifiers to help them qualify to their first AFCON since 1978 when they won silver 39 years ago.
Onyango also beat his Sundowns clubmate Khama Billiat to the award from the three-man shortlist.
Meanwhile, Zesco were beaten to the Club of the Year award by Sundowns.
Zesco was the only continental club cup semifinalists nominated alongside Sundowns and Mazembe.
as long as this CAF awards will be done in west Africa no player from southern or central will take a trophy those guys have a way of picking players .to me kalaba played well and he deserved to be the best of the three KAYA
They are smarter. We watch their movies, read their novels!
Docile Zambians, you can’t beat the international conspiracies
That CAF chap Issa Hayatou and his colleagues!! We stand no chance!!!
Let that not put you down Rainford.We appreciate your efforts!!
Kalaba, my man! Stand strong. Zambia is proud of you. Hard luck, Zesco. Let’s take this as a welcome challenge to do even better.
Corrupt CAF.
Kalaba did nothing out of the ordinary. You Zambians are over expectant. It will be a long time before you start producing players of the calibre of Kalusha Charles Musonda Johnson Bwalya Kennedy Mutale Peter Kaumba
In the meantime prepare for a long era of watching soccer from the stands because your investment in the U-20s doesn’t have anyone to manage it