Khune wins South African award

Itumeleng Khune stole the show at the South African end-of-season football awards ceremony in Johannesburg. The 25-year-old Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper was voted Player of the Season by the 16 top-tier coaches and collected three other prizes. Khune also won the players' player and best goalkeeper awards in the Premiership plus best player in the FA Cup. Chiefs won both competitions this season and the most popular football club in the country will compete in the 2014 CAF Champions League. The four awards made the Chiefs and South Africa captain US $60,500 (€47,000) richer after a glittering two-hour show at a suburban theatre. Khune thanked his parents for love and support, Chiefs for direction and inspiration, and praised goalkeeping coach Rainer Dinkelacker. "I am where I am because of Rainer - all my achievement are due to him," he said of the German backroom staff member. Khune grew up in the north-west town of Ventersdorp loving cricket, but joined Chiefs in 2004 to help support his family financially. After an up-and-down career, he scaled new heights in the 2012/13 season, skippering Chiefs to the Premiership-FA Cup double. Chiefs coach and fellow award winner Stuart Baxter rates him among the best goalkeepers on the continent. Englishman Baxter flopped as South Africa coach in 2005, but made Chiefs an attractive, successful side in his first season with them. The long-range goal of Senegal-born SuperSport United defender Mor Diouf against Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria was voted the best. Another foreign winner was Botswana and Bloemfontein Celtic midfielder Joel Mogorosi, who got the nod as best League Cup player. Source: fifa.com