Pirates, Civics on collision course

ORLANDO Pirates will be looking at dethroning Civics as Namibia Premier League defending champions after they enlisted the services of top coach Shepherd Murape, while several prominent players have also joined that camp.

Pirates will this season boast with three top quality goalkeepers after former Blue Waters and Black Leopards stopper Athiel Mbaha became the latest signing. Mbaha, one of the heroes in Namibia’s qualification to the African Nations Cup in against Ethiopia, will join long-standing Pirates goalie Harry January, while the young Helmuth Maletzky has also entered the fray from Civics.Mbaha has been idle for almost a year without a club after he quit Leopards in South Africa due to contractual problems.Pirates are one of the oldest clubs in the country and their support base is unquestionable.To complement this, Murape, who has been brought into the coaching hot seat by Hendrik Dawids, looked elsewhere to bring some of the finest players to the fold as he attempts to capture the league title for the side, which has not won it in post-independence Namibia.ALL IN PLACE Dawids, a businessman, moved from Blue Waters to take over as the chief of operations at Pirates.With Dawids and Murape in place, former Civics midfield genius Rudi Louw decided to move to Pirates despite being one of the regulars for the triple-league champions (Civics), while Riaan Cloete made his way back from Ramblers.Louw has won the league under the guidance of Murape before and has three league championship medals with Civics, making him one of the leading players to have landed the title more than three times.Louw was lured by Murape to join Pirates, while Cloete, who only played for Ramblers for a season, also returned to his former club under similar circumstances.Midfielder maestro Johannes Seibeb parted with African Stars at last after he threatened to pull out earlier.Seibeb was accused of being too demanding by the club management and was also seen as an untouchable in the side.Ellington Tjirimuje, who played in a defensive midfield or right-back position at Civics, also joined the black-and-white outfit.The young and promising Civics striker Eusobio Fredericks has also joined Pirates and it is believed that this was according to the wishes of his father.The youngster has shown a lot of potential and his fantastic footwork and explosiveness will have many defenders running in circles this season.Also making his return is defensive stalwart, Richard Gariseb, who has been loaned out by his South African-based Premier Soccer League side, Bidvest Wits.Murape said although the size of the team is currently big, he will only need between 23 and 25 players.The fight for positions will be determined in midfield as Louw, Cloete and Seibeb are all specialists in that department.They will battle it out with Klaas Blom and Patrick Jagger, while upfront, Fredericks has to look for a starting place as he will go up against Edian Beukes and Wilfred Coetzee.Pirates will open their league campaign tomorrow against arch-rivals Black Africa and this match could determine if Pirates will be one of the strong contenders for the league title.CIVICS STOCKS UP Civics will be going into the campaign under pressure, as they have to defend their league title, while they will also gun for cup glory in domestic competitions this year after an unlucky last season.The biggest signings for Civics this season are former Ramblers prime predator Bradley Wermann and the formidable midfielder Victor Helu, also from Ramblers.They also managed to grab goalkeeper Esau Tjiuoro from Ramblers, while they further beefed up the attack with the acquisition of Knowledge Ipinge from Blue Waters.Civics meet Blue Waters away in their opening match on Saturday, and Ipinge will try to get the first taste of victory from his former club.The talented Nelson Angula, who played for the Civics Juniors, will now join the senior side and will be required to put on his scoring boots, as the team will need his goals to retain the title.Former Black Africa defender Sedekia Haukambe was also scooped by the Civilians, while further players include Eslon Kamuhanga, also from Ramblers, and Salomon Henoch, who formerly played for second-division outfit Red Fighters.Team manager Paul Stramis confirmed that all the other players were still with the club, with notable names being striker William Chilufya, midfielders Brian Brendell and Jamu Ngatjizeko and defender Franklin April.Stramis said their former goalkeeper, Danzyl Bruwer, will join the side after his international clearance certificate has been released.Stramis says it is good that other teams are acquiring quality players to provide strong competition.”We don’t fear any team in the league.All we want is for the action to start so that we can see which team is doing its job on the field instead of just talking,” said the two-time NFA Team Manager of the Year.A complete list of new signings is expected to be released tomorrow by the NPL.Mbaha, one of the heroes in Namibia’s qualification to the African Nations Cup in against Ethiopia, will join long-standing Pirates goalie Harry January, while the young Helmuth Maletzky has also entered the fray from Civics.Mbaha has been idle for almost a year without a club after he quit Leopards in South Africa due to contractual problems.Pirates are one of the oldest clubs in the country and their support base is unquestionable.To complement this, Murape, who has been brought into the coaching hot seat by Hendrik Dawids, looked elsewhere to bring some of the finest players to the fold as he attempts to capture the league title for the side, which has not won it in post-independence Namibia. ALL IN PLACE Dawids, a businessman, moved from Blue Waters to take over as the chief of operations at Pirates.With Dawids and Murape in place, former Civics midfield genius Rudi Louw decided to move to Pirates despite being one of the regulars for the triple-league champions (Civics), while Riaan Cloete made his way back from Ramblers.Louw has won the league under the guidance of Murape before and has three league championship medals with Civics, making him one of the leading players to have landed the title more than three times.Louw was lured by Murape to join Pirates, while Cloete, who only played for Ramblers for a season, also returned to his former club under similar circumstances.Midfielder maestro Johannes Seibeb parted with African Stars at last after he threatened to pull out earlier.Seibeb was accused of being too demanding by the club management and was also seen as an untouchable in the side.Ellington Tjirimuje, who played in a defensive midfield or right-back position at Civics, also joined the black-and-white outfit.The young and promising Civics striker Eusobio Fredericks has also joined Pirates and it is believed that this was according to the wishes of his father.The youngster has shown a lot of potential and his fantastic footwork and explosiveness will have many defenders running in circles this season.Also making his return is defensive stalwart, Richard Gariseb, who has been loaned out by his South African-based Premier Soccer League side, Bidvest Wits.Murape said although the size of the team is currently big, he will only need between 23 and 25 players.The fight for positions will be determined in midfield as Louw, Cloete and Seibeb are all specialists in that department.They will battle it out with Klaas Blom and Patrick Jagger, while upfront, Fredericks has to look for a starting place as he will go up against Edian Beukes and Wilfred Coetzee.Pirates will open their league campaign tomorrow against arch-rivals Black Africa and this match could determine if Pirates will be one of the strong contenders for the league title.CIVICS STOCKS UP Civics will be going into the campaign under pressure, as they have to defend their league title, while they will also gun for cup glory in domestic competitions this year after an unlucky last season.The biggest signings for Civics this season are former Ramblers prime predator Bradley Wermann and the formidable midfielder Victor Helu, also from Ramblers.They also managed to grab goalkeeper Esau Tjiuoro from Ramblers, while they further beefed up the attack with the acquisition of Knowledge Ipinge from Blue Waters.Civics meet Blue Waters away in their opening match on Saturday, and Ipinge will try to get the first taste of victory from his former club.The talented Nelson Angula, who played for the Civics Juniors, will now join the senior side and will be required to put on his scoring boots, as the team will need his goals to retain the title.Former Black Africa defender Sedekia Haukambe was also scooped by the Civilians, while further players include Eslon Kamuhanga, also from Ramblers, and Salomon Henoch, who formerly played for second-division outfit Red Fighters.Team manager Paul Stramis confirmed that all the other players were still with the club, with notable names being striker William Chilufya, midfielders Brian Brendell and Jamu Ngatjizeko and defender Franklin April.Stramis said their former goalkeeper, Danzyl Bruwer, will join the side after his international clearance certificate has been released.Stramis says it is good that other teams are acquiring quality players to provide strong competition.”We don’t fear any team in the league.All we want is for the action to start so that we can see which team is doing its job on the field instead of just talking,” said the two-time NFA Team Manager of the Year.A complete list of new signings is expected to be released tomorrow by the NPL.