NAMIBIAN footballers Paulus Shipanga and Richard Gariseb have secured deals with South African first-division side Wits University.
The two players signed two-year contracts yesterday and have joined the team for pre-season training sessions in Johannesburg. The business manager of the two players, Collin April, confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday that the two players had put pen to paper and were raring to go for the next season.Wits University was relegated from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) last season and will have to fight their way back to top-flight football when the league resumes in August.Shipanga and Gariseb impressed Wits coach Boebie Solomons at a recent exhibition match in Walvis Bay, which was part of MTC’s tenth anniversary celebrations.Solomons was in Namibia to look for players who could beef up his team in an attempt to secure a premiership spot at the end of next season.April said Solomons was impressed with the players in Walvis Bay and in Johannesburg during training sessions, and decided to sign them up.Shipanga played for Namibian premiership side Blue Waters as a forward, while Gariseb turned out for Orlando Pirates as a defender.Both players do duty for the Namibian national team.April said the players were “extremely excited” after being told that they got the go-ahead to play for the outfit, which is based at Bidvest Stadium.”They were very excited and they are eager to play in South Africa to further their football careers.They are exceptional players, as we have seen them play for both their clubs and the country.I think it was a good move from Solomons to sign them up and we hope that they will help the team to get back to the top,” he said.He said although there had been other offers from teams such as Silver Stars and Free State Stars, the two players opted for the ‘Clever Boys’, as the Wits side is known.Meanwhile, Pirates midfield kingpin Riaan Cloete and Blue Waters goalie Athiel Mbaha are trying out with Silver Stars, but there is no confirmation on their status with the club yet.Cloete and Mbaha also left with Shipanga and Gariseb to South Africa and are also represented by April in their dealings.The signing of the two players brings the total of Namibian players in South Africa to seven.George Hummel, Mohammed Ouseb and Henrico Botes are contracted to Swallows, while Ricardo Mannetti recently signed for Bush Bucks from Santos.Another is Robert Nauseb, who plays for Santos.The business manager of the two players, Collin April, confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday that the two players had put pen to paper and were raring to go for the next season.Wits University was relegated from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) last season and will have to fight their way back to top-flight football when the league resumes in August.Shipanga and Gariseb impressed Wits coach Boebie Solomons at a recent exhibition match in Walvis Bay, which was part of MTC’s tenth anniversary celebrations.Solomons was in Namibia to look for players who could beef up his team in an attempt to secure a premiership spot at the end of next season.April said Solomons was impressed with the players in Walvis Bay and in Johannesburg during training sessions, and decided to sign them up.Shipanga played for Namibian premiership side Blue Waters as a forward, while Gariseb turned out for Orlando Pirates as a defender.Both players do duty for the Namibian national team.April said the players were “extremely excited” after being told that they got the go-ahead to play for the outfit, which is based at Bidvest Stadium.”They were very excited and they are eager to play in South Africa to further their football careers.They are exceptional players, as we have seen them play for both their clubs and the country.I think it was a good move from Solomons to sign them up and we hope that they will help the team to get back to the top,” he said.He said although there had been other offers from teams such as Silver Stars and Free State Stars, the two players opted for the ‘Clever Boys’, as the Wits side is known.Meanwhile, Pirates midfield kingpin Riaan Cloete and Blue Waters goalie Athiel Mbaha are trying out with Silver Stars, but there is no confirmation on their status with the club yet.Cloete and Mbaha also left with Shipanga and Gariseb to South Africa and are also represented by April in their dealings.The signing of the two players brings the total of Namibian players in South Africa to seven.George Hummel, Mohammed Ouseb and Henrico Botes are contracted to Swallows, while Ricardo Mannetti recently signed for Bush Bucks from Santos.Another is Robert Nauseb, who plays for Santos.
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