WHEN Namibia play the 2016 Cosafa Castle Cup Plate final against Zambia on Friday afternoon there will be three supporters at the Sam Nujoma Stadium cheering them on to victory with extra passion.
Windhoek locals Ceciliana Nangolo, Fransina Titus and Immanuel Mieze have been chosen by the tournament sponsors Castle Lager as Super Fans for the Cosafa Castle Cup tournament, rewarding them for the passion with which they support the Brave Warriors from the stands.
They have been joined at the tournament by Super Fans from around southern Africa and for the finals weekend will be joined by passionate supporters from South Africa, Swaziland and Namibia’s Plate final opponents Zambia.
For these young soccer lovers, being a Super Fan is an opportunity to channel their fanatical support for the game in a meaningful way that galvanises fellow Namibians to rally behind the Brave Warriors.
Nangolo, who is studying IT, has been at the stadium for every match-day of the Cosafa Castle Cup so far and says after Tuesday’s barnstorming performance in the 3-0 semifinal win over Mozambique, that Namibia will lift the Plate trophy on Friday night.
“I think they will win. On Tuesday they corrected their mistakes from the quarterfinal loss to Botswana and I am really confident they will lift the Plate trophy,” Nangolo said.
Nangolo, a supporter of Tigers FC, plays soccer for V-Power Angels in the Women’s Super League as a central midfielder.
Titus wishes she could still play but gave up the game to concentrate on her studies. She now channels her passion for the game into being a SuperFan.
“I’m a soccer lover and I attend most of the games of my club Black Africa and other teams, even in the Second Division, as well as obviously the Namibia Premier League and Brave Warriors,” Titus said.
“By attending the matches I was recognised and that’s how I became a Super Fan. I played soccer at secondary school but my Mom did not like it so she made me drop it. She wanted me to focus on my studies more.
“But my love for the game was so strong that I agreed to stop playing, but would continue to support from the stands. I do miss playing a lot!”
Titus said the opportunity to meet fans from across southern African had been a special experience.
“I have loved the tournament, I have met such a lot of people and made a lot of friends among the other SuperFans from across southern Africa. I feel very proud to represent the 2,1 million people of Namibia as a Super Fan from this country.”
Mieze is another supporter of Black Africa, and he says the club and football runs deep in his family.
“My whole family supports Black Africa so I grew up in that environment. I wanted to carry that on not just at home but at the stadiums. Soccer is my life.”
He says he is supremely confident that Namibia will lift the Plate trophy against Zambia.
“They must just pull up those socks a bit higher and we can lift the trophy!”
Former Namibia international Simon ‘China’ Uutoni, who played in the Cosafa Castle Cup during his illustrious career, has been a Brand Ambassador for the tournament and worked closely with the Super Fans.
“It’s been great to see people come out and support the Cosafa Castle Cup at the roadshows before the tournament and especially at Namibia’s games,” Uutoni said.
“As a Brand Ambassador for the event I have worked closely with the Super Fans to help bring new energy to the event.
“They love the game so much and all they want to do is get behind their team and show their love for their country. It’s wonderful to see.”
Zama Hlophe, Regional Marketing Manager for Castle Lager, said the Super Fans concept is about supporters uniting behind a common passion.
“In 2016 Castle Lager is bringing together the Super Fans from all the countries around the region to support their teams in their pursuit of the title of champion,” Hlophe said.
“Our Super Fans campaign brings consumers together to do something great for our football and brings to life the best of our region – our football and our people.” – cosafa.com
