Kavango West becoming a regional force 

Kavango West region has excelled at the Nedbank Namibian Newspaper Cup in recent years, having reached two of the last three finals.

After winning the title for the first time in 2014 when they still competed as one region along with Kavango East, Kavango West won the title for the first time in 2023, while they finished as runners-up to Kunene in last year’s final.

They still have more than half of last year’s squad available and are determined to go all the way and lift the trophy again this year.

“We are trying to see how we can improve on last year. We really did well to reach the final last year, but now we want to go a step further and win the title,” Kavango West manager Eddy Hauwombo says.

“Obviously all the regions want to win the title, and we don’t know how they are preparing, but we are preparing well and our aim is to win,” he says.

Hauwombo says they have a strong and experienced squad.

“We still have about 12 players from last year’s squad, so we have a lot of experience and we only need to add eight more. Our top striker from last year, Mathias Kamanya, is still there and will lead the strike force, while attacking midfielder Gerson Kangumbe was part of the national under-17 team that went to Germany last year.

“We’ve groomed him since the age of 14 and he is a real fighter. He was very disappointed when we lost the final last year, so he has that will to win and we are relying on him,” he says.

“Adelberth Kasimbombo will lead the defence. He likes going forward and making those crosses, so we are also relying on him. If you look at last year’s results, we didn’t concede any goals during the group stages until we reached the semi-finals, and he played a big role in that,” he says.

Hauwombo was also part of the team that won the title in 2023 and says it gave them a lot of confidence.

“That was a great experience and we made history for the Kavango West region, winning the title for the first time. That victory gave us a lot of confidence, also for the technical team, which is still the same.

“We have the same coach, assistant coach and team manager, so we’ve gained confidence and experience. We didn’t make it out of the group stage the following year, but last year we once again reached the final. Hopefully we will have learnt from our mistakes, and this year we’re pushing to win the final,” he says.

Haowombo says they will go into camp to start preparing for the tournament today.

“We’ve selected our provisional squad, and on Friday we’ll call everyone to our training camp. We’ll be in camp for nearly two weeks until we leave for the ||Kharas region,” he says.

OVERCOMING DISAPPOINTMENT

Kavango West coach Julius Simbombo says the team was disappointed to lose last year’s final.

“It was a big achievement for us to reach the final last year, although we were quite disappointed that we didn’t win, because we made two errors that cost us in the end.

“We conceded a penalty that could have been avoided, and the first goal we conceded came from a simple mistake,” he says.

“But we have an experienced squad this year. Many of the boys are available again, and we always try to build the squad around those who have already been exposed,” Simbombo says.

He also coached the team that won the title in 2023 and says it was a great experience.

“We had a very good reception, and the people of the Kavango West were every excited. We received a lot of support, and a lot of children started playing football because their parents could see it offers them a lot of opportunities.

“The atmosphere was amazing and it was a great boost for the region. After we won, we were able to start with the new sport stadium that had been earmarked.

“Although it’s not complete yet, we can now use it as our training ground,” he says.

Simbombo, however, says he still has a lot to learn.

“I have to learn how others are doing things so I can improve myself and my coaching tactics to get good results. But it’s a collective effort between the players and the technical team,” he says.

Kavango West have been drawn in group B along with Oshikoto, Ohangwena and ||Kharas, and Simbombo says it’s a tough group.

“Every game will be tough, and we will need to prepare well. But we are prepared and ready to face each and every team.

“To reach the top, you must be able to beat the best, and you must organise yourself properly and work as a team. If you do that, anything is possible,” he says.

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