2008-07-08Staff Report 2 "By Carlos Kambaekwa WINDHOEK One of the oldest football clubs in the country, Namib Woestyn is alive and kicking. The coastal side came back from the jaws of death last year only to resurface in the Southern Stream Division One, after the club bought the franchise of Mariental-based Bee Bop Brothers. The club's chairman Kenneth ""Kandas"" Gaoseb said when management decided to rekindle the old memories of the once darlings of Namibian football - the main objective was to finish in a comfortable position amongst the top three in the nationwide first division. That mission was certainly accomplished after Woestyn ended in a comfortable third position behind Hotspurs and Monitronic College in their first season in competitive football, after spending decades in the doldrums of domestic football. ""Our aim is to gain promotion to the country's elite league by the end of the 2008/2009 season, come hell or high water, and to demonstrate our seriousness - the team has already started with pre-season preparation and left for Cape Town yesterday where they will be playing against the likes of South Professional Soccer League sides Santos, Ajax Cape Town and FC Cape Town, which has Brave Warriors defender Maleagi Ngarizemo on their books,"" boasted the soft-spoken football administrator. Woestyn opens their Mother City safari with a date against Ricardo Mannetti's previous employers Santos tomorrow at the Athlone Stadium and take on Ajax Cape Town on Saturday, before concluding their journey to the land of Table Mountain with a confrontation against National Division One Coastal Stream outfit FC Cape Town, on Monday. The Walvis Bay outfit was invited by Santos to undertake a tour to the mother city after the two coastal teams signed a players' exchange programme that would see players from Namib Woestyn being incorporated gradually into Santos' junior structures. The Namib Woestyn quartet of Imbert Izaaks, Leviano Melanie, Brian Simataa and Oris Thaniseb are already training with Santos. While in Cape Town, some members of the team's management would be subjected to being taken through the ropes by their Santos counterparts on the finer points of football administration in modern times. There's an old saying that one man's man's death is another man's bread and Woestyn is certainly not immune to this particular adage. The coastal side is already fishing in troubled waters following the recent unceremonious exit of neighbours Blue Waters from top fight football. Sources close to the club hinted that several disgruntled players from Blue Waters are ready to jump the sinking ship and board the smooth sailing train alongside Namib Desert in search of new challenges. The 30-member travelling entourage left Walvis Bay en route to Cape Town yesterday, and is expected to reach their destination by midday, later today. " 2008-07-08Staff Report 2
