Rudolf Gaiseb
The Kunene regional soccer team on Saturday won the second edition of the regional championships.
They scooped N$10 000 prize money for their excellent performance.
The championships kicked off at the Khomasdal stadium in Windhoek on Friday and concluded on Saturday.
Venaune Hepute, the coach of the Kunene regional team said his boys displayed very classic football, despite coming from a region without sports facilities.
“They managed to keep themselves fit through massive training. The tournament was a very great opportunity, not only for the regional teams but also for the unity among diverse cultural groups and young people. The boys got medals, a trophy and money. The amount, however, is not satisfactory. It will just go to expenditures like travel, equipment, and other gear the team needs,” he said.
He added that the representation of soccer in Namibia is narrowed to a specific geographical area and that scouting agents make use of this opportunity to pick players with diverse skills and from diverse backgrounds.
After an epic battle of defensive play and determination, Kunene, also known as the ‘Desert Elephants,’ advanced to the final after beating Omusati in the semi-finals.
They faced Erongo in the finals, who were leading 1-0 in the first half after Maandero Hindjou scored in the 37 minute.
After halftime, the Desert Elephants secured an equaliser after Boy-Boy Kahiru scored in the 55th-minute.
The two teams played defensively until the end of the match and went into penalty shootouts.
After a nail-biting and tooth-grinding penalty shootout battle, the victory went to Kunene. Erongo however, bagged
N$5 000 for their efforts.
Co-organiser of the soccer tournament Alfeus Handura stated that the aim of the tournament, which started last year, is to give a sense of belonging and originality to players.
“Not all players get the opportunity to play in the Premier League as well as the national team. Therefore, we seek to give an opportunity to coaches to come and scout players for the premiership, which makes it easier as this tournament happens before the commencement of the Namibian Premier League,” he added.
He further said, “We wanted to include all 14 regions, but because of financial backlogs, some regions like //Kharas, Zambezi, Kavango East and West were left out. We do not have sponsors; we go out and knock door to door to look for sponsors, but we currently have no sponsors at all.”
Handura urged governors of regions and companies to hop on board; he believes that the tournament is a massive project, and will benefit from their support for inclusivity. -rrgaiseb@gmail.com