Hansa Cup goes to the wire

THE Hansa Pilsener Cup goes to the wire this weekend when minnows Tough Guys faces former premiership side Golden Bees in what could be a tantalising affair for Otjiwarongo spectators at the Mokati Stadium on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 15h00. The top prize at stake is N$90 000, while the second-best team on the day will walk away with N$40 000.The two semi-final losers will receive N$20 000 each.Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL), through its Hansa Pilsener beer brand, forked out a whopping N$500 000 towards the tournament earlier this year.Before the main match, a fixture between the Otjozondjupa Regional Under-20 side and Mighty Gunners is scheduled for 12h00.The Tough Guys club from Gobabis was only formed in 1997 and are aiming to clinch the Cup despite the high status of their opponents.Golden Bees played in the Namibia Premier League (NPL) last season and most of their players have picked up valuable experience on that level, while Tough Guys are still in the Second Division of the Cattle Country League.Golden Bees will be happy to win the cup because they have not won any major tournament in over 20 years.Club official Zandri Haimbodi said the team was ready for the encounter and a win will boost them to try their luck to go back to the premiership again.Golden Bees play in the Northern Stream First Division and are currently third on the log.Golden Bees swept aside Bingo (1-0), Chelsea (4-2), Mighty Gunners (3-1), United Stars (2-2, 4-5 pens), Poison Arrows (5-0), United Stars (2-2, 4-2 pens) and Eleven Warriors (3-0) to go into the final.The Gobabis side has beaten Andries XI (2-1), Nampol (1-0), Eastern Chiefs (2-2, 5-3 pens), Friends (2-2, 5-3 pens), Mighty Birds 3-2 and Onambula United (4-2) to land a final spot in the cup.Tough Guys spokesperson Ismael Gariseb said the spirit in the camp “is wonderful and all the players are focused to go out there and perform as none of them are suffering from any injuries”.”Each member in the club gives 100 per cent co-operation and this contributed to the club reaching the final,” he said.According to Gariseb, the team manager of the side, Johannes Tjitekulu, has made it clear that he does not want to be associated with a losing side.Tjitekulu said Tough Guys will go in as underdogs, but will rely on the inspiration provided by their many supporters in Otjiwarongo.At the launch earlier this year, NBL’s Hansa Pilsener brand manager Rosemary Hilundwa said the competition aimed to attract many fans in the quest to help promote and develop football at regional level.The competition targets teams in the Northern Stream First Division, Southern Stream First Division, Caprivi Second Division, Kavango Second Division and Ohangwena Second Division and the Cattle Country Second Division.Rewards of N$1 000 are up for grabs for the team manager of the series, player of the series, coach of the series, top goal scorer of the series, referee of the series, assistant referee of the series and goalkeeper of the series.The top prize at stake is N$90 000, while the second-best team on the day will walk away with N$40 000.The two semi-final losers will receive N$20 000 each.Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL), through its Hansa Pilsener beer brand, forked out a whopping N$500 000 towards the tournament earlier this year.Before the main match, a fixture between the Otjozondjupa Regional Under-20 side and Mighty Gunners is scheduled for 12h00.The Tough Guys club from Gobabis was only formed in 1997 and are aiming to clinch the Cup despite the high status of their opponents.Golden Bees played in the Namibia Premier League (NPL) last season and most of their players have picked up valuable experience on that level, while Tough Guys are still in the Second Division of the Cattle Country League.Golden Bees will be happy to win the cup because they have not won any major tournament in over 20 years.Club official Zandri Haimbodi said the team was ready for the encounter and a win will boost them to try their luck to go back to the premiership again.Golden Bees play in the Northern Stream First Division and are currently third on the log.Golden Bees swept aside Bingo (1-0), Chelsea (4-2), Mighty Gunners (3-1), United Stars (2-2, 4-5 pens), Poison Arrows (5-0), United Stars (2-2, 4-2 pens) and Eleven Warriors (3-0) to go into the final.The Gobabis side has beaten Andries XI (2-1), Nampol (1-0), Eastern Chiefs (2-2, 5-3 pens), Friends (2-2, 5-3 pens), Mighty Birds 3-2 and Onambula United (4-2) to land a final spot in the cup.Tough Guys spokesperson Ismael Gariseb said the spirit in the camp “is wonderful and all the players are focused to go out there and perform as none of them are suffering from any injuries”.”Each member in the club gives 100 per cent co-operation and this contributed to the club reaching the final,” he said.According to Gariseb, the team manager of the side, Johannes Tjitekulu, has made it clear that he does not want to be associated with a losing side.Tjitekulu said Tough Guys will go in as underdogs, but will rely on the inspiration provided by their many supporters in Otjiwarongo.At the launch earlier this year, NBL’s Hansa Pilsener brand manager Rosemary Hilundwa said the competition aimed to attract many fans in the quest to help promote and develop football at regional level.The competition targets teams in the Northern Stream First Division, Southern Stream First Division, Caprivi Second Division, Kavango Second Division and Ohangwena Second Division and the Cattle Country Second Division.Rewards of N$1 000 are up for grabs for the team manager of the series, player of the series, coach of the series, top goal scorer of the series, referee of the series, assistant referee of the series and goalkeeper of the series.