Rundu ‘chief of chiefs’ make top flight return

Rundu Chiefs are returning to the Namibia Premier Football League to challenge for honours and not survival, the club’s chairman Agrippa Haindongo says.

‘Epangero’ won promotion to the topflight following a 3-0 victory over Shooting Star at Katima Mulilo on Sunday, which secured the North East First Division crown, ending close to a decade of near misses.

“We marched with heart, we fought with pride – we dared to dream, we dared to lead,” the club posted on its Facebook page on Sunday.

Yesterday, Haindongo said the club was rewarded for being brave in their recruitment in the off-season, bringing in several players with premier league experience who were surplus to requirements elsewhere.

That approach, coupled with strong backing from management to implement goals and projects, has yielded the desired result.

“Tell them the chief of chiefs is coming to take the crown,” an elated Haindongo said.

“We are coming back to stay and we’re coming to to take our rightful place on top of the league. So, if they [rivals] are not prepared, tell them they will be in for a shock.”

Chiefs captain Klemens Chimba commended the club for its vision, as well as his teammates for their commitment to making their unwavering supporters proud.

“To the supporters, we would like to thank them for always supporting us. They followed us from Rundu to wherever we went to play,” Chimba said of their diehard 12th-man.

“It was not easy because we fought with teams that are capable. We fought with teams that also wanted to win the league. As you can see, the title race was very tight.”

Chimba said their success has its origins in the latter stages of the 2023-24 season, and the next challenge is building on their momentum.

“Last season, we struggled a lot from the beginning. But then, towards the second round of last season, we clicked. We got the formula right,” Chimba explained.

“We managed to win some games and then pushed up to fifth position. So, as a result, we knew or the club knew where to fix, what players to get.

TOP FLIGHT RETURN

Chiefs could be the only club from Rundu in the Debmarine Premiership next season, should struggling Julinho Athletic meet the same fate as Cuca Tops, who on Sunday became the first team to be relegated from the top division this season.

Haindongo said they have done their homework on the potential pitfalls that await in their first season back.

Not only that, the Chiefs are gearing up to challenge the establishment.

“You need to be well prepared,” Haindongo said of the club’s ambition to extend its competitive edge at premiership level.

“You see, you need experienced players, not only those players that you have won with in the first division that you must take with to the top league.

Sustaining a club in Namibia is not easy given the scarce investment in domestic football, Haindongo said, and challenging for top honours increases the difficult which is why Chiefs sourced substantial support to end its eight-year long pursuit of a top flight return.

Haindongo said there are several areas where “financial muscle” is needed: transport including transport and accommodation.

“We’ll see where we will source money and strengthen our team. We will make it,” he said.

Haindongo said his charges had to dig deep to get over the finish line after falling 3-1 to Eastern Chiefs on Saturday.

Had they failed to beat Shooting Stars on Sunday, Chiefs faced the prospect of having to defeat United Stars on the final day to secure the title and promotion.

“When we went in the game with Shooting Stars, my players had a strong feeling to say, ‘look chairman, we are going to make it’. So, then we made it. Here we are today,” Haindongo said.

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