2017-08-24Staff Report 2 Carlos Kambaekwa Windhoek It was exactly 40 years ago when the Louis Pienaar Administration, albeit reluctantly, sanctioned the unavoidable introduction of multi-racial football in the then South West Africa (SWA) under the South African apartheid regime. Now, 40 years down the line, two of the leading football giants dominating domestic football during the maiden edition of multi-racial football in apartheid South West Africa, a fifth colony of South Africa back in the day, are gearing up to revisit the past. Plans are afoot to stage a memorable reunion with the past and current crop of footballers from both clubs going down memory lane through an assortment of exhibition matches featuring some of the old bones, including Rammies’ inspirational bearded skipper Bobby Craddock and Stars’ midfield general Oscar “Silver Fox” Mengo. History reveals that Stars and Ramblers were the teams to beat during the inaugural edition of multi-racial football in then South West Africa in 1977. Ramblers won the highly competitive Central Football Association (CFA) Division one – leaving the Reds to pick up the pieces for the runner up spot. Nonetheless, Stars came out tops during the national play offs to determine the national league champions following marathon matches against the winners and runner up from the West, North and Far Northern leagues. Ironically, both teams reached the final of the newly introduced coveted Mainstay Cup the same season that saw the Reds defeating Ramblers at the packed-to-rafters Windhoek Showgrounds the same season in an action-packed encounter. It is a well-documented secret that Stars’ sudden turn of fortune could be accredited to German migrant, one Dieter Widmann. The latter transformed the team from its traditional long ball into slow build-ups from the back – much to the delight of local football fans. The German tactician masterminded Stars’ double victory over their cross-town rivals and though he left the team after a few successful seasons, returning to his native Germany in 1980, the moustached German gaffer left a long-lasting legacy among his protégés. Widmann is currently holidaying in Namibia and has teamed up with officials from both clubs to put the wheels in motion. For the envisaged sporting bonanza, watch this space for more. 2017-08-24Staff Report 2
