NFA salutes the late Oscar Norich

Namibian football legend Oscar Norich will be missed by the local football and business community, Namibian Football Association (NFA) Secretary-General Barry Rukoro says. Norich passed away last week Monday in a Tsumeb hospital after a long illness. He was 78. As a young man Norich, after whom a football stadium in Tsumeb is named, played for Chief Santos Football Club (FC) in the same town. Rukoro told Nampa that he was shocked and at a loss for words when he heard that Norich, one of the greatest Namibian football legends, had died. “I saw Oscar during The Namibian Newspaper Cup in Tsumeb this year and he was not looking in great shape, but it is always a shock to learn that a person had passed on. “As a young boy playing football in Otjiwarongo we always heard of the tales of how Oscar Norich mesmerised his fellow footballers on the football fields with his football skills. I never had an opportunity to watch him play, but his stories were so great I wished I saw him play,” said Rukoro. He said the NFA salutes Norich for what he had done for Namibian football. “I wish today’s footballers will see what contribution Oscar made to Namibian football. As a player he organised the first-ever football game between black and white players in Namibia. After he retired from football, he became a successful businessman. “I wish our current footballers can emulate what Oscar did as a footballer and a businessman,” stated Rukoro. Calle Auchumeb, a former teammate of Norich, said that Norich was a legend and will be remembered for what he did on and off the football field. “Playing alongside Oscar was always great because he was a great footballer who always wanted his team to win, and he was also a good person outside the football field. He was like a brother to everyone, and his passing away after a long illness is still hard to swallow at the moment. We will miss him as a footballer and a friend,” said Auchumeb. Norich was buried at Tsumeb on Saturday. WINDHOEK NAMPA