‘Mr Reliable’ leaves legacy in Namibian football 

The Namibian football fraternity has reacted with shock to the news that former national star Rodney Wallace Doeseb has died.

Doeseb took his life at his house on Sunday, the police have said.

Former Brave Warriors and Eleven Arrows goalkeeper Immanuel ‘Sparks’ Gottlieb called me early on Sunday to share the sad news.

“My brother, did you hear that Wallace Doeseb is no more?” he asked.

I felt like screaming. Doeseb was one of the most likeable young men you would come across.

Although he retired from active play a while ago, he was still very passionate about football and called me often to discuss issues hampering the local game.

He would specifically speak about the lack of development structures in Namibian football, and the poor standard of refereeing – especially in the country’s lower divisions.

Apart from playing for Eleven Arrows, Doeseb also coached the Erongo regional team at the Nedbank Namibian Newspaper Cup. His death is described as a great loss to the regional football community.

“When emotions in the group went high, you always brought peace and calmness,” says Bernhard Kamatoto, a close associate of Doeseb and an advocate of Erongo regional football.

“Whenever problems arise, you work hard to solve them with wisdom and understanding. Today we choose not only to mourn you, but also the legacy you have left in our region.”

Doeseb, who had a code A coaching licence from the Confederation of African Football, has been coaching the Karibib FC in Erongo second division at the time of his death.

He coached the Erongo region to its first success in the newspaper cup, while he was also the architect of Blue Boys’ first premier league return as a player-coach.

‘INBORN LOVE’

Known as ‘Mr Reliable’ during his heydays, Doeseb made a name for himself as one of the best central defenders in the country with former Premier League giants Chief Santos.

The towering former school principal made his introduction to local football with Khorixas outfit Robber Chanties, but it was with Santos that he enjoyed massive successes.

“My love for football is an inborn thing, because my eldest brother, Ernst ‘Banda’ Doeseb, was a goalkeeper back in the days, and I always went to football games with him,” Doeseb told The Namibian Sport in a recent interview.

“Gothardt ‘Oupapa’ Richter, who married my sister, was also goalkeeper, and I went with him to the soccer field a lot as well. I started kicking around a soccer ball at the age of six and found the experience quite fascinating,” he said.

The former school teacher spoke openly about his love for Santos, who just got relegated to the second division.

“Joining Santos was imminent after watching the way those guys in the orange-green-and-white tracksuits were laughing and making jokes, while beating my team, Robber Chanties, and most NPL teams home and away with ease. This was too much for me.

“Their libero, Puli Subeb, was playing with ease, dribbling the strikers and launching attacks from the back, and that was something I copied.

“The desire to play next to Subeb was something I dreamt about. My best time in football was undoubtedly with Chief Santos . . . My football success was also with Chief Santos,” he said.

Born at Otjimbingwe, about 60km from Karibib, Doeseb won every cup at stake between 1997 and 2005 with Santos, including the coveted Namibian Premier League.

He transformed into one of the most valuable players of the three-time NFA Cup champions and soon became an integral part of the Brave Warriors.

He won 28 national team caps, while on the domestic front he won the league, three consecutive Namibia Football Association Cup competitions, the Castle Classic Cup and the MTC Cup with Santos.

The former no-nonsense defender made his debut for the Brave Warriors against Angola in 1998, and followed that up against Mali, Malawi, Ivory Coast, Congo, South Africa, Swaziland and Egypt in the same year.

In 2000, he played twice against Zimbabwe, twice against Seychelles, Morocco, and twice against Benin, Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia.

In 2001, the last year he made his final appearances in the colours of his country, Doeseb faced Lesotho, Madagascar (2), Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco, and Nigeria, while he bowed out against southern African neighbours Botswana.

His family has, meanwhile, announced that funeral arrangements will be announced soon.

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