WINDHOEK – Defending champions African Stars have been pitted against fellow Premiership campaigners Eleven Arrows in one of two all-premier league encounters in the last 32 of the annual Namibia Football Association (NFA) Bidvest Cup at a yet to be decided venue during the first week of next month.
In other all-premier league action, Tura Magic have been drawn against hoodoo team Tigers in what promises to be the most intriguing encounter of the opening round proper in the country’s most lucrative football knockout competition. With the Katutura big four having avoided each other, all eyes will be fixed on defending champions African Stars as the Reds start their defense against the seasiders following their opening match in the preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup against Angolan opponents Pedro de Atletico.
Both the matches of Stars and Black Africa in the Bidvest Cup will be rescheduled to a yet to be decided date in mid-February to avoid possible interference with their continental assignments. Tigers and Civics have laid their hands on this particular cup on previous attempts, but on current form, the Shadumbala Boys should be firm favourites to stake a serious claim for their fourth victory after winning the cup on two previous occasions, the same number as Civics while featuring in the final more than any other team during the competition’s formative years in the mid 90’s. All the remaining ten teams campaigning in the country’s topflight league heaved a huge sigh of relief during a well attended draw at the spacious Supporters Club, in the capital yesterday, after they were handed relatively easy passage to the last sixteen with winnable ties against teams from the lower divisions.
FNB Orlando Pirates will play against the winners from the Oshana Region, while league rookies United Stars will be up against North West winners and LHU Blue Waters take on last year’s giant killers Julihno. Tura Magic confront the winners from the Oshana Region, PC Blue Boys versus the winners from the Omaheke Region. Rundu Chiefs have a date with the overall winners of the Oshikoto Region, while Ramblers take on the Omusati Region. Black Africa should have little trouble booking their place in the next round after they were pitted against lowly Cuca Tops.
Chief Santos boast the most number of victories in the country’s richest and oldest knockout cup competition with four wins to their credit followed by Stars, BA and Pirates on three wins each. Blue Waters, Eleven Arrows and Ramblers have also posted triumphs on one single occasion among themselves.
NFA honorary president, Dr Korbenian Viscaya Amuthenya, speaking on behalf of NFA President John Muinjo, said the NFA, is pleased with the alliance with Bidvest Namibia and look forward to the future with anticipation. The Bidvest Cup affords both amateur and semi-professional footballers to pit their strengths against the more established professional clubs and has positioned itself as Namibia’s own Football Association Cup. Following last year’s spectacular tourney, that saw play-offs culminating in an unforgettable grand finale from which African Stars emerged victorious against Mighty Gunners, football followers and the broader public are eager to see what Bidvest Namibia plans to dish up for this year’s event. From lessons learnt last year, the competition has cast the net wide with the majority of matches to be played in various towns in all 13 regions of the country as part of Bidvest Namibia’s commitment to bring football closer to many football starved fans and communities across the nation. “The Bidvest Cup grants the Bidvest Namibia Group along our subsidiaries a viable platform to interact and engage with the people of Namibia across all regions, which is of paramount importance for us as a proud Namibian organization,” Bidvest Namibia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sebby Kankondi emphasized. This year’s tournament sees an increase of N$100 000 in prize monies with the overall winner taking home a cool N$560 000, the runner-up N$220 000, while the two losing semifinalists will each pocket N$115 000 for their trouble. The full fixtures for the last 32 read as follows:
Runner up SSFD vs Kunene, Tigers vs Civics, Julinho vs Blue Waters, United Stars vs NWFD Winners, Oshana vs Tura Magic, Omaheke vs PC Blue Boys, Winner of SSFD vs NWFD runner-up, Eleven Arrows vs African Stars, FNB Orlando Pirates vs Ohangwena, Rundu Chiefs vs Oshikoto, Hardap vs Otjozondjupa, Ramblers vs Omusati, Erongo vs Kavango 2, Black Africa vs Cuca Tops, Zambezi vs Karas and Kavango 1 vs Khomas.
By Carlos Kambaekwa