Otniel Hembapu
Windhoek-Still jovially basking in the sunbeams of their historic Debmarine Namibia Cup triumph, Young African mentor Mali Ngarizemo refuses to get carried away by growing hype and expectations as he maintains that success in the MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) remains their biggest objective.
League greenhorns Young African, who are this year only making their maiden appearance in the country’s topflight football league and FA Cup, on Saturday surprised all and sundry when they conquered old-time campaigners Mighty Gunners 3-2 to make history by lifting the inaugural edition of the Debmarine Cup at the Legare Stadium in Gobabis.
With the FA Cup already well conserved in their trophy cabinet, it will again be back to business for the Gobabis-based club who tonight take on Black Africa at the Sam Nujoma Stadium at 20h00, in what is expected to be a thrilling clash.
Speaking to New Era Sport from his Gobabis base yesterday, where the team was still conducting a victory parade through the streets of their home town, meeting and greeting hundreds of fans, Ngarizemo said they will be ready to face Black Africa tonight and will show no signs of complacency as they are out to achieve their various set league objectives.
“I’m extremely excited and happy for the boys because they worked so hard to achieve what we achieved in the Debmarine Cup on Saturday. We haven’t really celebrated our historic win yet because we had to resume training on Sunday in order to prepare for tonight’s match against Black Africa. We are now (yesterday afternoon) busy conducting a massive victory parade in our home town Gobabis, as our beloved supporters also want to see the trophy as well as meet their players. But as for the Black Africa match, it remains an important game for us and since it’s an away match, we will be extra vigilant and ready for whatever they have in store for us,” said Ngarizemo, a former Brave Warriors hard-tackling defender back in the day.
Unlike in the opening rounds, Black Africa are starting to find some ground – and the cohesion among playing personnel is quite visible as the players are starting to impressively crystallize – and with the experience of their mentor, Lucky Richter, more is expected to come from the former four-time league champions.
As it currently stands, Black Africa and Young African are tied on 17 points on the log table, with Black Africa sitting 4th and Young African stationed in 5th place. Therefore, tonight’s clash is of vital importance for both teams as the only appreciable outcome should be victory for either side – and the match equally holds the required weight and disposition to gauge the two team’s league title prospects.