…happy golden jubilee!
WINDHOEK – Chairman of Namibia’s treble champions Black Africa, Ranga Haikali, yesterday reaffirmed the club’s seriousness and desire to participate in the 50th edition of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League, slated for early next year.
Despite being faced with the mammoth task of having to raise a staggering N$10 million to ensure their participation at Africa’s premier club football tournament, Haikali assured fans and the nation at large that they have been burning the midnight oil for the past few months in efforts to raise the needed N$10 million. Speaking at the club’s 50th anniversary yesterday in the capital, the streetwise business magnate and former trade unionist, emphasized the importance of BA’s participation, saying it would be to the greater benefit of the Namibian football fraternity, since the competition would hand local footballers an ideal opportunity to showcase their talents at the highest level, and to be exposed to the watchful eyes of international scouts.
“Our aim is to formulate Black Africa into a more professional club, in terms of its operations and administration and we have already started with that by engaging with South African and Angolan premier league clubs. We are confident these engagements will benefit us in the areas of proper administration and professional club management. We also want to expand our operations as a sport club, by placing more focus on our netball teams and others and live up to our true values and of being the biggest sport club [in the country],” he added. The winner of the CAF Champions League will qualify for the 2014 Fifa Club World Cup, a tournament contested between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations, and will also earn the right to play in the 2015 CAF Super Cup. The CAF Champions League is an annual international club football competition for African football leagues, which is the equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.
BA’s Cassius Moetie also used the platform to announce that the club has decided to increase entrance fees to N$50 for all their category-A games, which will be games against teams like African Stars, Orlando Pirates, Tigers and Tura Magic amongst others. Moetie explained that the N$50 increment is meant to reverberate with the club’s 50th anniversary. “Being league treble champions already proves BA’s quality and hence, if the local football loving community really wants to watch quality football and a quality team, than they would have to pay the N$50. All quality products come with a price,” said Moetie.
By Otniel Hembapu