… Akan ready for any team
WINDHOEK – With a new man at the helm, FNB Orlando Pirates’ solid start in the 2nd edition of the annual Namibia Premier League (NPL) Cup has given its usually hard to please supporters a glimmer of hope.
After a failed bid to wrestle the coveted league title away from traditional rivals Black Africa and having fallen behind in the pecking order of the Katutura big four, Pirates were made to play second fiddle to both fellow bigwigs African Stars and Tigers, but the arrival of Ali ‘Mr Fix It’ Akan seems to have appeased the Ghosts’ long suffering followers. Now with the team’s habitual inconsistency appearing to have come to an end, Pirates fans are waiting with bated breath to see whether Akan, the man with the Midas touch will repeat the same feat as he did last year when he single-handedly steered African Stars to victory in his first attempt during the inaugural edition of the country’s flagship league opening competition.
With two victories already under their belt in the opening two matches, the rejuvenated Ghosts are guaranteed a place in the semifinals and given his impressive pedigree in knockout cup competitions, Akan cannot be faulted for believing his young brigade has what it takes to ruffle a few feathers en route to the final.
“Look, we are still far from being a finished product, because there are one or two positions in the squad that require urgent reinforcement, but I will not reveal which positions right now. We have a very good squad, a mixture of experienced campaigners and highly talented youngsters. Youngsters such as Image Isaaks, Ronaldo Tsowaseb and Stanley Kamesepo are showing maturity and football virtuosity way belying their young age and Akan is banking on the trio to revive the faded fortunes of the Buccaneers. These boys are ready to compete at the highest level, while the old guard of Brian Gurirab, Ivan Makina and Rudi Louw can match anyone of the established footballers pound for pound in terms of skill and ability,” boasts a confident Akan, who joined Pirates from Katutura rivals Stars at the beginning of the current term.
The Buccaneers are the only team to have collected maximum points for the round robin group matches in last weekend’s action and have scored 5 goals in 180 minutes of action while only conceding one. Pirates are likely to face Tigers or Tura Magic in the semifinal, but Akan is not worried about the identity of their next opponents. “It does not really matter because both are quality teams, but the most important aspect is to remain focused on our next assignment.” The other three seeded teams in the competition, Stars, BA and Tigers have all collected four points from a possible six.
By Carlos Kambaekwa