African Stars have appointed Benedictus ‘Coach Benni’ Haoseb as interim head coach to lead the club’s upcoming CAF Champions League campaign following Agnus Elemu’s departure.
“I will not say I’m happy. But I’m over the moon about the faith African Stars FC management has in me,” he says.
He says the team’s management has demonstrated confidence in him and his professional ability and expertise to oversee the team in an interim position as head coach.
The reappointment comes after African Stars FC management last week announced a ‘divorce’/ contract agreement between the club and head coach Agnus Elemu, who successfully led Stars to a fourth league title this season.
In their official communication, Stars say they are pleased to appoint Haoseb as the club’s interim head.
“Benni will lead the team through any upcoming engagements as we prepare for the Confederation of African Champions League campaign in the club’s continuous pursuit of success,” the statement reads.
“His experience, leadership, and understanding of the club’s culture make him well positioned to guide the squad during this period.
“The club has full confidence in Coach Benni and believes his commitment and passion for African Stars will inspire players and supporters alike through the competition.”
Haoseb says he will oversee the team until a substantive coach is appointed.
“In the meantime, I will make sure the team is better than the performance shown during their Standard Bank Namibia Top clash against Eleven Arrows at Swakopmund.
“My priority is to make sure I keep the team intact, fit and mentally ready for the Caf Champions League and ensure the team progresses beyond the group stages,” he says.
Haoseb says he will enrol for the CAF B licence course hosted by the Namibia Football Association in July.
“The idea is to be prepared and ready to one day take the hot seat when the team goes southward.”
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OPPONENT
African Stars FC is pitted against Club Africain from Tunisia in their preliminary round campaign.
Asked about Club Africain, local football analyst Waka Katuamba says: “The football played in those northern African countries differs a lot from what we see in our region.
“Northern football is more tactical, physical and fast-moving and eye to goal, where in our southern region we are at a disadvantage with physical strength, thus it will be a hurdle to overcome.
“But if in the region we stick to the principles of our strength, skills, short passes and speed, we might just be lucky and get something out of it.”
He says it’s not ideal to bring in a foreign coach, “considering our level of football and the quality of our players”.
“We don’t have the quality of players a foreign coach will be able to play his system with. We are far behind in terms of quality, so I personally think we should stick to our local CAF A licence coaches who understand and are able to play our football.”
Katuamba says it’s a risk bringing in a foreign coach for a Champions League only.
“I think we should stick to our local coaches and our style of players,” he says.
Katuamba says the first step before appointing a foreign coach should be trying to sign top players from southern Africa to add quality to the team.
