THE draw for the Round of 16 of the Debmarine Namibia Cup was made on Monday, with matches set for Mariental and Walvis Bay on 17 June.
The draw, which took place at the UN Plaza in Katutura and was attended by the Brave Warriors and national coach Ricardo Mannetti, saw some interesting match-ups for the remaining 16 teams in the competition.
In Mariental, Young African will play Life Fighters, Young Chiefs will play Bee Bob Brothers, Outjo Academy will play Eastern Chiefs, and Civics will play Young Beauties.
In Walvis Bay, Try Again will play Eleven Arrows, Touch & Go will play Rundu Chiefs, Tura Magic will play Gendev FC, and Unam will play Mighty Gunners.
At yesterday’s draw, Willy Mertens of Debmarine Namibia said that due to the non-participation of six Premier League clubs who withdrew from the competition, the excess funds will be used to introduce man of the match awards, while also increasing the travel and preparation fees for the participating teams.
Last month, Tigers, Black Africa, African Stars, Orlando Pirates, Blue Waters and Chief Santos withdrew from the Debmarine Namibia Cup, citing a ‘lack of Premier League football action.’
The man of the match will receive N$1 000, while an equal amount will be donated to a charity of his choice.
The amount will increase to N$1 500 in the quarter-finals; N$2 000 in the semi-finals; and N$5 000 in the final.
The travel and preparation fees will also be increased to N$20 000 for each club for the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals, while the two finalists will receive N$30 000 each.
The man of the match awards are in addition to the individual awards for the player, top goal scorer and coach of the tournament who will each receive N$20 000, while the goal keeper, referee and assistant referee of the tournament will each receive N$15 000.
The overall winner will receive a total of N$608 000, consisting of N$500 000 in prize money and N$108 000 in preparation fees, while the runners-up will receive a total of N$358 000.
The semifinal losers will receive N$228 000 each; the quarterfinal losers will receive N$58 000 each; and the Round of 16 losers will receive N$38 000 each.
The Round of 32 losers already each receive N$18 000, while the 17 First Division and regional Second Division teams received N$20 000 each for winning their respective zonal and regional play-offs.
According to Mertens, Debmarine Namibia will sponsor the tournament for three years to a total amount of N$14,1 million, making the Debmarine Namibia Cup the richest cup competition in the history of Namibian football.
