STORIE LORRIE
The hottest news in Namibian football around players, coaches, teams and possible transfers.
South African football legend Teko Modise has listed Peter Shalulile among his choices for Player of the Season in the DStv Premiership. Shalulile has helped Mamelodi Sundowns win the league and keep the Chloorkop-based side on track to win a treble of trophies for the season. Sundowns have also won the MTN8 and are in the final of the Nedbank Cup, which is scheduled to take place on 28 May. Modise, when asked to name his candidates for Player of the Season in a post on his Instagram page, said: “To see Shalulile being the player that he is for Mamelodi Sundowns; It’s been a while since we have seen a goal scorer of note for Sundowns because when they win championships, normally it is everyone [pitching] in with goals and to see him [Shalulile] being consistent [is great].” The other players on Modise’s list are Andile Jali and Themba Zwane, both of whom are also Sundowns players.
Cosafa’s newly-elected president Artur Almeida e Silva from Angola has reiterated that developing football in the region is critical and will be at the forefront of his time in the office. In his acceptance speech, Almeida said Cosafa “must become renowned as a centre of excellence of modern football trends.” It is for that reason that he is touting the establishment of a technical centre, with each member association to have their own smaller institution. The Angolan was elected unopposed during the Cosafa general assembly, which took place at the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek over the weekend. He takes over the role from Zimbabwean Phillip Chiyangwa, who preferred not to stand for re-election, following his five-year stint in charge of Cosafa.
Former Brave Warriors defender Willem Mwedihanga has been sharpening his coaching skills at CBS Talents, where he is one of the coaches. The retired defender, in an earlier interview with The PlayMaker, revealed that he would be going into coaching, without indicating which club/academy he would be joining. It can now be revealed that CBS Talents is where he finds himself, sharing coaching duties with another former international goalkeeper Arnold Subeb, amongst others.
In the many developments which came about as a result of the Cosafa general assembly held in Windhoek over the weekend, one of the strongest indicators that Namibia and Botswana’s bid to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations could be successful was made by Caf president Patrice Motsepe. While addressing the general assembly, the Caf president intimated that Africa’s football governing body is eager to give as many countries as possible opportunities to host continental competitions. By doing so, Caf would in turn help the respective countries to build world-class infrastructure and facilities. Afcon has only twice been hosted in the region, following editions hosted by South Africa (1996 and 2013) and Angola (2010). Motsepe’s remarks indicate that 2027 may see another edition hosted by the Cosafa bloc.
The Galz and Goals programme, ran by the Namibia Football Association (NFA) in conjunction with Unicef, is currently hosting high level visitors. The National Committee for Unicef UK, the Telling Tales Company and football star Alex Scot have been gracing Football House since 13 May with the sole aim of filming and interviewing girls who play football as part of a case study. The purpose of the case study is fundraising for Unicef and the Galz and Goal programme “to ensure that the NFA continues to offer football leagues and activities with integrated health and life skills education for young girls”, read part of an article published on the NFA Facebook page.
Gaborone United are one win away from winning the Botswana Premier League (BPL). The team, where Namibian Kennedy Amutenya plays, defeated MR Highlanders 1-0 on Saturday to tighten their grip on the league. Another win for Gaborone United will see them win the title with two games to spare. The only team still in with a chance to beat them to the title is Township Rollers, whose 1-0 win over Jwaneng Galaxy kept them in the chase. This season essentially marks the return of the BPL, which was not played for the last two years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Galaxy were the defending champions, but they do not have enough points to defend their title.