Chaos hits United Stars

Rundu-based United Stars Football Club could start the 2014/15 Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) Namibia Premier League (NPL) season without a functional leadership structure. The team remains without a chairperson after the departure of Rundu businessman John Paul Santos, who left the club unceremoniously at the end of last season to join newly promoted NPL outfit Julinho Sporting Football Club (FC) as chairperson. United Stars have also axed former coach David Snewe, who last season ensured that the club remained in the country’s top-flight football league. Snewe was relieved of his duties as the club could no longer afford his salary, which remains undisclosed. He has since been replaced with the team’s former coach, Paul Mallembu. Mallembu, who was instrumental in ensuring that the team won promotion to the 2011/12 NPL football season, was dropped as head coach then because the team could apparently not afford the salary he was demanding at the time. No functional structure It was alleged that Mallembu, an A-licence former Kavango regional Under-20 team coach, demanded a monthly salary of N$5 500, but the team was only prepared to pay him N$2 000 then. It has not yet been established what salary he has agreed to for the new football season. With four days left before the 2014/15 season kicks off, the blue-and-white outfit does not have a functional structure after the departure of Santos. The team’s acting spokesperson, Daniel Namwira, confirmed to Nampa yesterday that the team is yet to get a chairperson, vice-chairperson, administrator or treasurer. Namwira explained that the club’s interim management team will hold a meeting sometime this week to elect a new structure to steer the team. This coming weekend, United Stars will open the 2014/15 football season by locking horns with Rebels FC on Saturday. They will then take on Tigers FC on Sunday, while Julinho Sporting will face Tigers on Saturday before taking on Rebels on Sunday. All matches will take place at the Rundu Sports Stadium. United Stars had a fantastic campaign last season as the team reached the semi-finals of the Bidvest Namibia Cup. Despite losing that encounter 2-0 to Citizens, Stars generally impressed pundits with their display of attacking football, which was epitomised by the form of Alpheus Ngwezi and Zimbabwean import Tomas Muketiwa. Having been promoted at the beginning of last season, Stars also managed to secure their place in the NPL with a few matches to spare as they ended in ninth spot on the table. -Additional reporting by own reporter. RUNDU-NAMPA