African Stars chairperson Salomo Hei remains confident the Namibian champions can overturn their 1-0 deficit against Orlando Pirates in Friday’s CAF Champions League return leg.Hei says the team has what it takes to make history.
African Stars lost the first leg of the second preliminary round at Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone on Saturday, conceding in the 75th minute. The result leaves the Windhoek-based side needing a strong performance in South Africa to keep its continental campaign alive.
Speaking to Desert FM presenter Jane Kandetu, Hei says he was satisfied with the team’s performance despite the defeat, pointing to
the difference in match fitness between the two sides.
“Obviously, it’s not the result that we would have wanted. I think we were really angling for a win because it was our home game,” he says.Hei argues that the absence of a competitive domestic league had put African Stars at a disadvantage against Pirates, who he says had already played between 10 and 14 matches this season.
He believes the first leg has nevertheless given his players valuable experience and confidence ahead of the return fixture. “I’m very confident that we can overturn this result,” Hei says, adding that the players now have 90 minutes of competitive football behind them.
The chairman also drew comparisons with African Stars’ earlier comeback against Gabonese side AS Mangasport.
After losing the first leg 3-1, the Namibian champions won the return match 2-0 to level the aggregate score and advance on away goals. Hei says the team would need to believe in its ability to compete and seize what he describes as an opportunity to change the club’s history.
“These are the sort of games that define careers. These are the sort of games that change lives. These are the sort of games that change
destinies,” he says. Beyond the match itself,
Hei raises concerns about Namibia’s lack of CAF-compliant stadiums, which forces local clubs and the national team to play important continental fixtures outside the country. He describes the situation as a major inconvenience,
citing additional costs and foreign-exchange losses associated with hosting matches in neighbouring countries. “Even the Brave Warriors regrettably also play their games outside. In the final analysis, it’s almost a travesty to Namibian football,” he says. Hei urges supporters to remain behind the team despite the first-leg result, thanking those who travelled to Gaborone and encouraging more fans to support the side in Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, African Stars and sponsor Sunbet Namibia are continuing their efforts to bring continental football closer to supporters who cannot travel to South Africa.
Following Saturday’s first-leg watch party at Temperature Club, Sunbet Namibia country manager Shafa Shafemanya previously told
Desert FM that the company had followed African Stars’ progress for about 18 months before committing to the partnership. Shafemanya
said Sunbet saw room for both parties to grow together and wanted to take the sponsorship relationship and football experience to the
next level.
Despite heavy rain and streaming difficulties during the first watch party, he expressed satisfaction with the turnout and the opportunity for supporters to share the experience.
Sunbet announced a second watch party at Temperature Club on 23 October starting at 19h30, allowing fans to follow Stars’ return-leg encounter against Orlando Pirates.
Hei also confirmes to Desert FM that another gathering was planned, saying the club wanted to build on the previous event and make it “bigger and better”. He says such initiatives were
part of the club’s broader efforts to improve the football product, strengthen its commercial partnerships and reach supporters who cannot attend
matches in person.
The return leg is scheduled for Friday in South Africa, with African Stars needing to overturn the one-goal deficit to progress in the CAF Champions League.
