Carlos Kambaekwa
… Down Memory Lane
The bulk of footballers in the current domestic football league are still to see the light of day while very few were very young when the face of domestic football went under the surgeon’s knife in years gone by.
This week marks 30 years of multi-racial football on Namibian soil. Three decades ago an unknown German national Dr Dieter Widmann gathered enough pluck to confront authorities about the possible amalgamation of the national tri-cameral football setup into one competitive league. The country then had separate leagues for Whites, Coloureds and Blacks.
Widmann arrived in the country in 1977 at the height of the South African Apartheid regime on the recommendation of the late Uwe Hansen, the Vice-Consul of the German representatives in South West Africa at the time.
Carlos Kambaekwa caught up with Dr Widmann and shared a few moments of his turbulent journey in the stormy waters of Namibian football during the infant years of the Transitional Government, including his encroachment on sacred territory which almost hastened his return to his native land after crossing swords with Oom Kosie Pretorius.
CK: How did you become involved in Namibian football?
DW: Actually, I came to Namibia by default as I was initially destined for Nigeria to coach the Super Eagles in 1974, but fate dictated otherwise as I found myself shipped to Namibia as a Chemistry and Football tutor at the predominantly white Deutsche Hǟ