Excitement mounts in Cup

THE kick-off to The Namibian Newspaper Cup is only a day away, with excitement mounting, especially in the southern town of Keetmanshoop, which is playing host this time.

Keetmanshoop will be the second southern town after Mariental to host the tournament and there are high expectations that the local organising committee will put their best foot forward when the event starts on Friday. Mariental and Oshakati were the biggest crowd pullers during the event, while Gobabis and Walvis Bay also did fairly well.This time, the town of Keetmanshoop will be expected to have the pitch at the J.Stephanus Stadium in top condition to allow players to produce the finest football they are capable of, while the crowd will also be expected to turn up in thousands during the four-day event.As customary, there are no entry fees at the gates and the spectators from especially the Karas Region will have the chance to be represented in masses at the competition, which draws together the top under-20 players around the country.Football is expected to be the order of the day, but the organisers have arranged that the popular Supa Strikas comic-book artists will also be there.The Supa Strikas personnel will run drawing and painting competitions for the youth at the stadium for most of the four days.The event has been a hit with the children over the years and it is expected to live up to its billing this time too.On the playing field, defending champions Hardap will meet either Omaheke or Oshikoto on the second day of the tournament, as they were given a free entry at the first hurdle because of their champions’ status.Hardap played in the 2005 final too and were beaten by Otjozondjupa, but last year managed to grab the cup.Orlando Pirates coach Ali Akan will once again be the Hardap coach.He also coached the team in the 2005 and 2006 editions.The favourites for the tournament will be Karas because of their home-ground advantage, but there are other dark horses who want to taste victory.The Erongo Region, despite having some good players, have looked vulnerable over the years and never made the final before.Oshikoto, Omusati and Oshana generally put up good fights in the opening rounds, but fade away as the tournament progresses.Kunene and Caprivi are unpredictable entities, while Khomas always pose a threat to any side.Ohangwena and Omusati have produced some flashes of brilliance in their opening rounds, but this time they need to go the full distance, while Kavango is also in the same boat.The winners’ final of the competition will be played on Monday at 13h00, while the losers’ final is scheduled for 11h00 on the same day.Mariental and Oshakati were the biggest crowd pullers during the event, while Gobabis and Walvis Bay also did fairly well.This time, the town of Keetmanshoop will be expected to have the pitch at the J.Stephanus Stadium in top condition to allow players to produce the finest football they are capable of, while the crowd will also be expected to turn up in thousands during the four-day event.As customary, there are no entry fees at the gates and the spectators from especially the Karas Region will have the chance to be represented in masses at the competition, which draws together the top under-20 players around the country.Football is expected to be the order of the day, but the organisers have arranged that the popular Supa Strikas comic-book artists will also be there.The Supa Strikas personnel will run drawing and painting competitions for the youth at the stadium for most of the four days.The event has been a hit with the children over the years and it is expected to live up to its billing this time too.On the playing field, defending champions Hardap will meet either Omaheke or Oshikoto on the second day of the tournament, as they were given a free entry at the first hurdle because of their champions’ status.Hardap played in the 2005 final too and were beaten by Otjozondjupa, but last year managed to grab the cup.Orlando Pirates coach Ali Akan will once again be the Hardap coach.He also coached the team in the 2005 and 2006 editions.The favourites for the tournament will be Karas because of their home-ground advantage, but there are other dark horses who want to taste victory.The Erongo Region, despite having some good players, have looked vulnerable over the years and never made the final before.Oshikoto, Omusati and Oshana generally put up good fights in the opening rounds, but fade away as the tournament progresses.Kunene and Caprivi are unpredictable entities, while Khomas always pose a threat to any side.Ohangwena and Omusati have produced some flashes of brilliance in their opening rounds, but this time they need to go the full distance, while Kavango is also in the same boat.The winners’ final of the competition will be played on Monday at 13h00, while the losers’ final is scheduled for 11h00 on the same day.