Unlike in the modern game, goalkeepers in the old days would become shot-stoppers by chance and not by choice, either they were less gifted as outfield players or considered to have the correct height to man the sticks.
Every aspiring footballer wanted to be involved in the thick of things and if one happened to miss the cut for the required 10 outfield playing personnel on the playing field, one could still take solace from the possibility that there could still be place available in the final 11 between the sticks.
Former Katutura-based outfit Flames Football Club acrobatic shot-stopper, one Teofelus Amutjira, better known as Kanepi among his circle of friends, used to be a bubbling stocky midfielder who took no prisoners in the middle of the park.
Nicknamed Kanepi, in reference to his relatively lack of sufficient height, an apparent resemblance to a quarter bottle containing substance from the Haya Water of Moag, was obliged to man the sticks for the Traugot Handura Street outfit when regular shot-stopper Abiud Nguaiko, failed to pitch up for a crucial tie on match day, and as they say, the rest is history.
The stocky net-guard, who originally hailed from the Copper town of Tsumeb went on to establish himself as one of those few blessed with the safest pair of hands in the business of domestic topflight football.
In today’s edition of our weekly sports feature, Tales of the Legends, New Era Sports takes our esteemed readers through the life of Kanepi, who made history by becoming one of very few footballers from our neck of the woods to test their skills beyond the borders of his native land during the rebel tour to then apartheid Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1977.
THE now defunct Katutura outfit, Flames Football Club might be considered statistics in the minds of many football followers, but the ambitious Traugot Handura Street club has certainly left a long lasting legacy in the annals of domestic football.
Under the shrewd stewardship of flamboyant administrators, Felix Kakuenje and his boyhood buddy, Darius Tjakaurua, the green and gold outfit encroached what would be considered unchartered territory when it undertook a rebel tour to apartheid Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1977 – very much against the wishes of local football authorities.
Flames assembled the de la crème of the finest footballers in the business, picked from some of the leading clubs in the country, as the club sought to stamp their authority and leave a long-lasting mark on their unauthorised southern African safari.
Though results were very hard to come by in neighbouring Rhodesia, some of the squad members in the touring entourage certainly left their mark by fashioning out splendid performances. One such player was stocky goalkeeper Kanepi Amutjira, Flames’ usual number one net-guard, but who had to play second fiddle to the late Orlando Pirates shot-stopper, Lewa Awaseb.
Flames suffered humiliating defeats in their opening two matches in both the cities of Gwelo and Salisbury. By the time the tourists played their last two matches in Bulawayo, to complete their four-match tour, there was need for a shift in playing personnel that saw young Kanepi thrown in at the deep end to man the sticks.
“The late Albert Louw, was our captain and suggested that I should be given a chance after our heavy losses in the opening two games. For some strange reasons, the squad improved dramatically and managed to fashion out goalless draws in our last two games,” Kanepi recalls.
“One should not read too much into those results because we had a formidable squad laden with great players, such as Ambrossius Vyff, Kaputji Kuhanga, Oscar Mengo, Albert Louw and Andehe Haimbodi amongst others. The Zimbabweans had a dangerous burly striker going by the name of George Shaya in their armoury, he could shoot from any range and gave our defense lots of headache.”
In his own words, the tour was a real eye opener since the hosts were in a different class of their own in terms of ball possession and accurate shooting from distance. Upon the team’s return from Rhodesia, most of the players returned to their respective clubs but Kanepi stayed put and made the number one jersey his own property until he was forced into early retirement after taking up employment in South Africa in 1985.
He was in a small group of local boilermakers dispatched to South Africa to work for a construction company was based in Edenville, near Johannesburg, before relocating to Puthaditjaba, in the eastern free state, Qwa-Qwa.
“It was during the construction development of the newly-built town and we were tasked to train women in the industry of welding and steel construction,” adds Kanepi, whose football career started way back in the early 1970s in the dusty streets of Nomtsoub township in Tsumeb.
A product from the Rhenish Native School in his native Tsumeb, young Kanepi used to be a noted sprinter in the short distance and started out as a midfielder on the football pitch, enjoying the admiration of team mates and the opposition alike until he relocated to the city of lights in 1970.
“It should be understood that there were great football teams in Tsumeb, Grootfontein and Otavi in those days. So, it was extremely difficult for us youngsters to break in the first starting 11 because teams such as Etosha Lions, Rangers, Red Bees, Goal Hunters and Poison Arrows were highly competitive units hoisting the flag in the maize triangle.”
Upon his arrival in Windhoek, it was obvious he would join forces with Flames FC since the club’s origin was entrenched in migrants from the Otjituuo reserve where he hailed from.
“I had no choice to join any other local team and was morally obliged by cultural patriotism to play for Flames FC and although I started out in the second team as a midfielder, it was not long before I found myself playing in the unfamiliar position between the sticks”.
Flames was playing against Pirates (Dolam) at the old Katutura Municipal Stadium next to the Central Shops but regular shot-stopper, the late Abiud-Katjambangu Nguaiko, was nowhere to be found on match day. Kanepi was summoned to man the sticks and played a blinder against the Brazello Haoseb’s inspired Pirates, and as they say, the rest is history.
Subsequently, he was to be installed as the club’s number one net guard and enjoyed the support of senior players in the squad that included Ace Tjirera, Ronny Kahuure, Simon Nuujoma, Paul Kaurimuje, Kuveri Uatanaua, Karirii Katire, Oscar Mengo, Ngururume Katjiku, Kauru Bilhawer and Asser Mbai.
In the absence of proper league structures, many teams would indulge in competing in knockout tournaments for trophies, a practice that required lots of travelling.
“We used to compete in towns such as Groot Aub, Okahandja, Omaruru, Walvis Bay and Tsumeb but the most prestigious competition was the annual Herero Cup, hosted by Life Fighters in Otjiwarongo, primarily aimed for pre-dominantly Otjiherero-speaking football clubs though there was no restriction for individual footballers from other tribes. The highest prize money we have ever competed for was a mere N$1 000 for the winning team.”
The stocky goalkeeper says he was inspired by the acrobatic exploits between the sticks executed by former Tigers fearless shot-stopper Nandos “The Cat” Mbako. He drew great admiration from the late Lewa Awaseb, whom he describes as the best goalkeeper of his generation and also sings praises for former Red Bees’ intimidating goal keeper, Kudu Tumuna.
“Domestic football has certainly lots its spark because there are just no longer football personalities in the modern game. Players in the mould of Albert Louw, Ambrose Vyff and Karirii Katire, played football the way it should be played and that’s why the crowd admired them for their simple football philosophy.
“I will always cherish the great memories of my football career because during the off-season, we used to play for a social team christened Young Stars FC, under the guidance of Oscar Mengo. That exciting team had the best footballers on offer recruited from the vast Herero location and almost led to the demise of African Stars until elders intervened to have the social team dismantled,” reveals Kanepi.
By Carlos ‘CK’ Kambaekwa