Freese: Moloisane's snub shows defenders still undervalued in PSL awards

Allan Freese has waded into the debate over this season's PSL individual awards, arguing that Thabo Moloisane was the player who truly deserved to be crowned Player of the Season. The manager's comments, made in the wake of the league's end-of-season honours, put a spotlight on Moloisane's recent move to Kaizer Chiefs and on a broader question that resurfaces almost every year in South African football: whether defenders get a fair look-in when the game's glossiest individual prize is handed out.

Player of the Season debates in the PSL, as in most leagues, tend to gravitate towards attacking output. Goals and assists are easy to point to, easy to rank, and easy to sell as evidence of a standout campaign. Freese's intervention pushes back against that instinct, suggesting Moloisane's body of work at the back was significant enough to merit the league's top individual honour, even without the kind of eye-catching numbers that usually accompany such an award.

The facts available do not include the vote breakdown, goals, clean sheets or any other statistical case for Moloisane, so it is not possible to weigh his campaign numerically against the player who actually won. What is clear is that his form was strong enough to earn him a switch to Chiefs, one of the country's most prominent and demanding clubs, and Freese's willingness to publicly back him as the season's best is itself a notable show of confidence heading into his new chapter in Naturena.

Why this matters goes beyond one manager's opinion. Awards shape reputations, transfer value and confidence, and a defender who has just joined a club of Chiefs' stature will want the perception that he is among the league's elite to travel with him. If Freese's assessment gains traction among pundits and supporters, it adds weight to Moloisane's profile at Chiefs before he has even had the chance to build a track record there. It also keeps alive a recurring conversation in South African football about whether the voting process for such awards is structured in a way that naturally favours forwards and creative midfielders over centre-backs and full-backs.

From SokaLive's perspective, Freese's comments are worth taking seriously not because they settle the argument, but because they reflect a genuine blind spot in how football often measures individual excellence. Defensive quality, positioning, composure under pressure and consistency rarely translate into headline numbers, which makes them harder to champion in award season even when they are just as decisive to a team's results. Without statistical detail on Moloisane's season, SokaLive cannot independently verify the strength of the case beyond Freese's word, but the underlying point about defenders being overlooked is one that resonates well beyond this single instance.

What happens next will likely play out on the pitch rather than in the debate itself. Moloisane's task now is to prove his quality in Chiefs colours, where his performances will be scrutinised far more closely than at his previous club. Should he continue to impress, Freese's comments may look less like a lone dissenting voice and more like an early, accurate read on a defender primed to make an impact at a bigger stage.