By Kuvee Kangueehi WINDHOEK The Hansa Pilsener Cup was officially launched on Tuesday morning at the Horizons Hotel in Gobabis. At the launch the acting Secretary General of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), Barry Rukoro, said the Hansa Pilsener Cup provides a unique opportunity to the larger number of football clubs in Namibia to experience the true spirit of cup football while at the same time aspiring to win big prize monies. “I thank Namibia Breweries for their visionary decision to invest at this level of our game as the decision is already being hailed as one of the most strategic and significant decisions in the history of our game.” Rukoro said many people think that the NFA is only about the Brave Warriors and the MTC NFA Cup. “Undoubtedly, they are two significant elements of our daily life and indeed are hugely important to us and influential in the way people think about the NFA as they are the shop-windows of our football.” However, he said, that only represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the NFA is about. The Hansa Pilsener Cup is officially the NFA’s biggest competition as it represents over 200 clubs, over 6 000 players and 1 800 volunteers. A minimum of 180 matches will take place during the preliminary rounds while the competition proper will see 31 matches. At the same occasion the Omaheke Regional Governor, Laura McLeod, commended Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL), Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) and First National Bank (FNB) for investing an amount of N$500 000 in the Hansa Pilsener Cup. She said that the cup competition would provide the lower division clubs with a unique opportunity to truly participate with the expectation of winning a worthy prize at the end of the day. Over 200 football clubs, which play in the first and second divisions, would participate in the cup that is scheduled to kick off on 13 January 2007. McLeod said that football is a phenomenon, and that launching any national competition outside the capital brings such phenomenon to a whole new audience. Tough Guys from the Omaheke Region are the defending champions of this prestigious competition. She maintained that Tough Guys are indeed worthy representatives of the region, saying that the entire community is very proud of their achievements. McLeod said that whoever qualifies to represent their respective regions should keep in mind that they would be true ambassadors of their respective regions. Speaking at the same occasion, Secretary of Cattle Country Football League, Ignatius Kariseb, thanked the NFA and the sponsors for involving regional football structures in football affairs. He encouraged the teams to keep up the spirit of sportsmanship and to remember that there is always a winner and a loser in any competition. Kariseb added that football is the only sport in the globe that could bring people together, no matter their political, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Additional reporting Nampa at Gobabis.