WINDHOEK– It will be a Dawid vs Goliath contest, when Namibian champions Black Africa confront South African glamour football club Kaizer Chiefs in the first leg of the lucrative CAF Club Champions League preliminary match in Johannesburg, next week.
The undisputed Namibian champions have vowed to hoist the country’s flag high and can take solace from the fact that some of their finest players have enjoyed successful stints with the Soweto giants in the past. Both Hermann ‘Pele’ Blaschke and Pius ‘Garrincha’Eigowab, have represented Chiefs in the 70’s with great aplomb and were household names in South African football.
In fact, Chiefs have a long history with Namibian football and so far had six Namibians on its books.
They included Oscar ‘Silver Fox’ Mengo, Ishmael ‘Lemmy’ Narib, Mohammed ‘Slice’ Ouseb and Robert Nauseb at different intervals. Black Africa will be fired up ahead of their African journey when they come up against Tura Magic in the MTC Premiership at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on Friday and would likely to use the match as their final preparation for the Chiefs clash.
Although Black Africa will go into the match as underdogs, the charges of Brian Isaacs have the ability to match their celebrated opponents pound for pound in their own backyard.
The midfield quartet of Awilo Stephanus, Klaas Blom, Bryan Bantam and Marko van Wyk all possess the talent and ability required to deal with any danger posed by the likes of Simpiwe Tshabalala, Yeye Letsholonyane, Willard Katsande and George Lebese.
The tricky BA midfielders play a similar style of football as their South African counterparts, but they could have a slight edge with their speed and could enjoy the upper hand in the midfield battle where ball possession will be key.
Black Africa will have to adopt a more cautious approach with their offensive play to avoid being exposed at the back and should keep Chiefs’ danger man Bernard Parker in check.
A draw or narrow goal defeat will still give them hopes to overturn the result in the decisive second leg on home soil, a fortnight later.
By Carlos Kambaekwa