Coaches upbeat for football season

Namibia Premier Football League coaches have expressed their desire to collect early points this season.

The league will kick off this coming weekend after the Namibia Football Association secured N$10 million from the government, ending the uncertainty which shrouded the league for the past few months.

As a new dawn breaks and the football season finally kicks off, some teams are racing against time to assemble squads for the opening matches.

Some of the teams are, however, fortunate enough to have started their pre-season training three months in advance, even though there was no guarantee that football would start.

Khomas Nampol coach Fortune Eichab expressed confidence ahead of the season.

The coach said he is lucky to have maintained most of his squad and wishes to start the season on a high as they face defending champions African Stars in their opening match.

“I have to say that I am happy with the way the team is preparing ahead of the season.

The good news is that football is set to return, and that is the news we wanted to hear.

I am fortunate to have players I know, and this will be an advantage for me going into this season because most players have already played under me,” Eichab said.

The police team has been one of the sides that have had strong campaigns in recent seasons since gaining promotion.

Eichab feels that his team, however, has to start strong in order to gain the confidence they need.

“We are facing the defending champions in our first match, and there is no better confidence booster than beating African Stars in your first match.

We know that they are not an easy team, but we have beaten them before, and there is always something special when we encounter Stars because they do not easily get a hundred percent record against us through the season,” Eichab said.

The police team finished last season third in the premiership. Champions African Stars gained 58 points, while Young African were second with 54 points.

Khomas Nampol, however, only managed 51 points after 30 league games in what was yet another strong finish for them.

The club won 14 matches, lost seven, and drew nine during the 2024/25 season.

Fortune Eichab’s men scored 48 goals while conceding 31 during the season.

“I think if you look at our past two seasons, you can say that the team has been doing well.

It is for this reason that we remain confident of really pressuring the top teams in the race.

As I said, our biggest wish right now is to have a good start before we can think of anything else,” Eichab reiterated.



Kanalelo ready

Bucks Buccaneers coach Ronnie Kanalelo also hopes to have a good start for his team this season.

The Buccaneers were one of the teams that had a strong second round of the season.

This came after Kanalelo replaced Woody Jacobs and rescued the team from relegation.

He is now looking forward to making sure that the team plays well during the 2025/26 season.

“I must say that I do not have all the players I would have wanted but remain content with the small team I have.

It is important to win your first matches because it might help attract more quality players,” Kanalelo said.

Bucks Buccaneers finished 10th in the premiership after winning eight of their 30 matches, with 10 draws and 12 losses.

The club, which gained premier league status last season after buying Civics’ status, aims to perform well and remain in the league.