The South African Football Journalists’ Association (Safja) has released a list of five nominees for its inaugural Men’s Footballer of the Season award featuring two stars each from Champions Mamelodi Sundowns and runners-up Kaizer Chiefs.

Safja is a newly-formed organisation aiming to give football writers in the country a unified voice. The organisation currently has 108 members, all of whom will vote for the eventual winner of the award, which will be announced on Tuesday, 29 September.

The association’s executive committee, in conjunction with four prominent local commentators, Mark Gleeson, Thabiso Thema, Kevin Evans and Duane Dell’Oca, decided on the five nominees.

Mamelodi Sundowns duo Themba Zwane and Hlompho Kekana, Kaizer Chiefs duo Samir Nurkovic and Lebogang Manyama, and ex-Highlands Park striker Peter Shalulile, who has since joined Sundowns, are the five men who stand a chance of winning the first-ever football writer’s award.

Safja is looking to follow in the footsteps of many established journalists’ bodies worldwide, including the Football Writers’ Association in England, who named Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson the player of the year for 2019-20.

“After having a very successful inaugural Hollywoodbets Safja Women’s Footballer of the Season‚ now to follow up with the Safja Men’s Footballer of the Season is hugely important for our more than 100 members‚ because we cover football from all different areas‚ amateur and professional,” said Safja chairman Velile Mnyandu in a statement.

“To come up with an excellent player from the season is something that we don’t take for granted. But also it’s an opportunity for us to acknowledge that we respect the talents who come through as rough diamonds from all different corners‚ not only from South Africa but also around the world‚ to play in the PSL.

“So, for this award we felt that it’s been a while since journalists were involved in coming up with the best player for the season and, through this platform‚ this is where we get to contribute.”

The winner of the Safja men’s award will receive a trophy‚ a photo collage of their 2019-20 season and media training for an amateur club of their choice.

The nominees are: