Maurice Kambukwe
WINDHOEK- Muramba United, a football team comprising of underprivileged players residing in the informal settlement of Okahandja Park on the outskirts of Namibia’s metropolis Windhoek, recently benefited handsomely from a donation of modern soccer boots donated by Brave Warriors England-based defender Ryan Nyambe.
Nyambe, who plays for English Championship side Blackburn Rovers, recently embarked on a charity mission which is aimed at empowering less fortunate footballers playing in various informal leagues and as a start, the 21-year old versatile defender donated more than 10 pairs of modern soccer boots.
The donated boots, which are all autographed by the defender, solely come from Nyambe and were put together with the aim of donating them to an underprivileged team back at home during his recent visit to Namibia.
The boots were handed over to the team by Nyambe’s cousin Leon Mubiana on the defender’s behalf.
Receiving the boots on the team’s behalf, an overly excited Muramba United head coach Ihemba Josephs could not contain his delight as he wholeheartedly thanked the Blackburn defender for the generous donation.
Josephs said the donated boots will go a long way in aiding the team’s needy footballers, as the majority of them can’t afford to buy soccer boots – hence the timeliness of the donation.
“This is the first time we are receiving such a donation and we are really thankful and appreciative of what Nyambe did for our team. I can’t explain the feeling. I’m very excited and can only thank Nyambe on behalf of the boys and the whole management, we did not expect such generosity,” a grateful Josephs said.
He added: “This will definitely positively impact our team in so many ways, it will inspire and encourage this young boys to work even harder now. We are going to make sure that we take good care of this gift (boots) and utilize it in a right way.”
Also speaking at the handing over of the boots at the team’s sandy training grounds, team captain Lucky Simbinde echoed the sentiments of his gaffer, saying: “On behalf of my teammates, we are all honoured and I can’t thank him (Nyambe) enough. I hope it won’t end here but he continues to support footballers at grassroots level. Even if it’s not us who will receive something next time, as long as our counterparts in the informal leagues receive this kind of help. I can only wish him nothing but the best in his football career and life. Nyambe should also know that he’s an inspiration to all of us here.”