From the sidelines

THE regional tournament hosted by The Namibian at Walvis Bay last weekend clearly showed the support that football enjoys in the country, and specifically at the coast.

The attendance was the aspect that stood out at this four-day event, with each day seeing hordes of supporters in the main pavilion of the Kuisebmond Stadium, with a lot more standing around the fence that encircles the field. Some even watched from the roofs of the nearby houses.It was a fantastic four days of football, but the supporters should get the biggest thumbs up, as they really showed their passion for the game by turning up in numbers.Well, there were some who did not know about the tournament despite being inhabitants of the town – but maybe they’re just not that into football.Despite that, there were many delightful moments during the tournament.Hardap became the new champions of the sixth edition of the tournament, and the second region to have won the cup once like Otjozondjupa.Omaheke and Khomas hold the record as they have won it twice thus far.The President’s XI mauled The Shadows 7-1 (not 6-1 or 8-1 as reported) and the little girls from Erongo ran in three goals against their counterparts from Kunene, despite a complete lack of positional play and not enough power in their legs to kick the ball five metres far.The musical performances by the various groups, especially the kwasa-kwasa band from the coast, had some spectators shake it to the beat, while the ball boys had a busy time keeping the ball on the run during matches.The wind and the unusual rain added to the action on the field, but at times the weather was not pleasant, especially for the team that was on the receiving end.The Shadow Team was a good example of this, as the President’s XI had the wind in their favour and the goals came in fast.The vendors at the stadium are reported to have made thousands of dollars from the event because of the massive support from the thousands of spectators who crammed into the venue, which usually does not attract so many people during normal league matches.With all the good things that took place, there were also some disappointments.The biggest complaint by officials was that the competition was not serving its purpose, as at least three players from the premier league, who were over-aged, were given a chance to play.In fact, this complaint has been coming along, but the organisers have turned a blind eye to it, arguing that these over-aged players add stability to some teams with their experience.I dismiss that argument, because the platform or the original idea from the sponsors was that it should strictly cater for players under the age of 20.If a player is in the premiership and still under 20, there is no need to include him because he has already made it to the top level.Players in the regions who are coming from the second- and first-division ranks should rightfully enjoy the privilege of playing in The Namibian Newspaper Cup.Only those under 20, that is.The other issue was the continuation of the Shadow Team.After each tournament a team is selected from all the regions and is called the Namibian Shadow Team.This team is supposed to feed the junior national sides, especially the national under-20 side, before they make their way into the under-23 side and the senior team.This has happened at a very slow rate with the Namibia Football Association (NFA) not sufficiently monitoring these players.Well, there are players who are serving on those levels that were spotted at previous tournaments, but they struggle their way up as they go back to square one when they rejoin their clubs after the tournament.One of the coaches at the tournament suggested that a permanent coach should be found and keep the team as a unit by giving them a few more matches, with the aim of preparing them for national duties.The next issue was that the organisers should in the next tournament not allow the Shadow team players to play against the senior team on the days that they are also involved in their cup matches.The selected players were clearly tired and it was very difficult to keep up with the pace of a team that was completely fresh.The fixture should rather be made the following day, or another arrangement should be found if that is not workable.Some even watched from the roofs of the nearby houses.It was a fantastic four days of football, but the supporters should get the biggest thumbs up, as they really showed their passion for the game by turning up in numbers.Well, there were some who did not know about the tournament despite being inhabitants of the town – but maybe they’re just not that into football.Despite that, there were many delightful moments during the tournament.Hardap became the new champions of the sixth edition of the tournament, and the second region to have won the cup once like Otjozondjupa.Omaheke and Khomas hold the record as they have won it twice thus far.The President’s XI mauled The Shadows 7-1 (not 6-1 or 8-1 as reported) and the little girls from Erongo ran in three goals against their counterparts from Kunene, despite a complete lack of positional play and not enough power in their legs to kick the ball five metres far.The musical performances by the various groups, especially the kwasa-kwasa band from the coast, had some spectators shake it to the beat, while the ball boys had a busy time keeping the ball on the run during matches.The wind and the unusual rain added to the action on the field, but at times the weather was not pleasant, especially for the team that was on the receiving end.The Shadow Team was a good example of this, as the President’s XI had the wind in their favour and the goals came in fast.The vendors at the stadium are reported to have made thousands of dollars from the event because of the massive support from the thousands of spectators who crammed into the venue, which usually does not attract so many people during normal league matches.With all the good things that took place, there were also some disappointments.The biggest complaint by officials was that the competition was not serving its purpose, as at least three players from the premier league, who were over-aged, were given a chance to play.In fact, this complaint has been coming along, but the organisers have turned a blind eye to it, arguing that these over-aged players add stability to some teams with their experience.I dismiss that argument, because the platform or the original idea from the sponsors was that it should strictly cater for players under the age of 20.If a player is in the premiership and still under 20, there is no need to include him because he has already made it to the top level.Players in the regions who are coming from the second- and first-division ranks should rightfully enjoy the privilege of playing in The Namibian Newspaper Cup.Only those under 20, that is.The other issue was the continuation of the Shadow Team.After each tournament a team is selected from all the regions and is called the Namibian Shadow Team.This team is supposed to feed the junior national sides, especially the national under-20 side, before they make their way into the under-23 side and the senior team.This has happened at a very slow rate with the Namibia Football Association (NFA) not sufficiently monitoring these players.Well, there are players who are serving on those levels that were spotted at previous tournaments, but they struggle their way up as they go back to square one when they rejoin their clubs after the tournament.One of the coaches at the tournament suggested that a permanent coach should be found and keep the team as a unit by giving them a few more matches, with the aim of preparing them for national duties.The next issue was that the organisers should in the next tournament not allow the Shadow team players to play against the senior team on the days that they are also involved in their cup matches.The selected players were clearly tired and it was very difficult to keep up with the pace of a team that was completely fresh.The fixture should rather be made the following day, or another arrangement should be found if that is not workable.