'I told Geingob I would score'

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

WINDHOEK



Dyed blond and with a sort of charisma about him, Berlin Auchumeb made the touch of gold in 1998.

It was a preliminary Cosafa Cup match and Namibia needed a hero to win them the match after fighting back to bring the scores level at 2-2 at the Independence Stadium in Windhoek.

As Namibia pushed on in search of a winner, Tsumeb-born striker Berlin Auchumeb netted from close range to give the Brave Warriors a sudden-death, extra-time win.

Speaking to Geingob

Before the match, President Geingob, who was then the prime minister of Namibia, had been doing the rounds to motivate the players.

“The prime minister came to me with a word of encouragement and motivation and my response was that I would score a goal and If I did not score the winning goal, I would definitely contribute towards the goal.

“I can recall that the look he gave me was that he did indeed believe that I would score and I actually did,” Auchumeb recalls.

The former forward remembers not even feeling like he had scored the winning goal just moments after that because he was still in shock and excitement.

“It took me almost a day before it sank in that I had scored an important goal for my country.

“It was my job as a striker to score goals but that one was surely special because of the way the crowd reacted to it.”



Biggest career moment

One would suppose that scoring a winning goal for your nation can be the best highlight of a football career, but that is not the case for Auchumeb who says playing alongside legendary Jomo Sono tops the list.

After the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations, Auchumeb signed for South African PSL team Jomo Cosmos, which was then coached by former footballer Jomo Sono.

“Jomo Sono was an idol for many and that day he came in from the bench in a friendly match against Orlando Pirates in 1999.

“Sharing the same pitch with a legend felt unreal at the time because there I was playing alongside a man I had so much respect for,” Auchumeb recalls.



Regrettable moments

Starting his football career in Otjiwarongo, Auchumeb had stints with Eleven Arrows, Chief Santos and Blue Waters in Namibia. He then made what he thought would be a dream move to Jomo Cosmos.

“Things did not turn out well for me at Cosmos because I only played in the friendlies and not league football.

“Cosmos had big strikers which Sono would develop to sell to overseas clubs and so I had to wait for them to be sold before I could get my chance.

“I was however not patient enough and opted to return to Namibia just eight months into my Cosmos career and that totally messed up my everything.” Auchumeb is currently living at Otjiwarongo and says he is establishing a business.