After finishing in the 6th position in the last South African football championship, Free State Stars, the club from Bethlehem, continued its tradition of rewarding outstanding players with awards. Among the winners are two Togolese players, midfielder Dové Womé and defender Sadate Ouro-Akoriko.
Free State Stars has a long-standing tradition of recognizing its best players from the previous financial year before the start of each season. In their debut season with the South African club, Togolese duo Dové Womé and Sadat Ouro-Akoriko made a significant impression on the club’s leaders and supporters. Womé, the Togolese international midfielder, scored 6 goals in all competitions and was honored with the “golden shoe,” recognizing him as the club’s top scorer. Taking the place of Edward Manqele, the South African striker who left for Mamelodi Sundowns in June, Womé expressed his happiness at receiving the award, acknowledging the efforts he put in during the season.
Sadat Ouro-Akoriko, Womé’s compatriot, received the award for the club’s best foreign defender. Having played around thirty matches in the previous season, Ouro-Akoriko, who won the UFOA trophy with Togo in 2011, has become a crucial part of the defensive lineup for both Free State Stars and the Togolese national team. Despite facing an operation last June, which prevented him from participating in the CAN 2013 qualifiers and the 2014 World Cup, Ouro-Akoriko, now 24, is determined and ambitious for the upcoming season. He emphasized the team’s commitment to improving on their performance from the previous season, particularly after being eliminated in the semi-final of the South African Cup by Mamelodi Sundowns.
Looking ahead to the new season, Ouro-Akoriko stated, “We will fight to do better than last season. It’s a trophy season because last year, we were eliminated in the semi-final of the South African Cup (by Mamelodi Sundowns).” The South African championship is set to commence on August 11.
