Stars end season with win

Rundu-based United Stars had to come from a goal behind to end their MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) season with a 2-1 win over Ramblers on Saturday. Stars, who were without their coach, Dawid Snewe - owing to study commitments - went behind early in the match that took place at Ramblers Field in Pionierspark. But the team responded with goals either side of halftime to claim the full haul of points at the expense of Ramblers. The result drew Stars level on points with the Pionierspark outfit and both teams have now finished their campaign on 26 points in ninth and eighth place respectively. Stars’ assistant coach, Pineas Kandunda explained after the match that it was satisfying to end the season on such a note. “We are happy to remain in the NPL,” he said of his team managing to beat the relegation trap door. “In the past, we used to come [to the NPL] and go back [to the first division] after just one season… But this time we managed to stay up,” he said. That, though, was a far cry from their early promise, stated Kandunda who said that their objective was to give winning the NPL their full go. “Our objective was to target first place but since that didn’t happen, that will be our next goal as the team continues to progress,” he said. Stars’ survival in the NPL now means that the league will have at least two teams from Rundu after Julinho booked their place in the elite league by winning the North Eastern First Division. That number may rise should Rundu Chiefs, who are currently occupying the automatic relegation spot in the league, avoid getting sent to the lower division. Kandunda said this is a testament to the fact that the region possesses some talented players. “Football in Rundu is improving and if you take a player like Charles Ngwezi, as an example, who has improved season on season, then I’m sure more players [from the area] will make it,” he reflected. As for Stars, Kandunda states that the club has ambitions of becoming a household name in similar vein to the likes of Orlando Pirates, Tigers and Black Africa. “We want to be among the top teams in the country and we will work towards that in the coming years,” he said. Appeal dismissed Meanwhile, the NPL has dismissed African Stars’ appeal against the decision to have the remaining minutes of their abandoned fixture against Orlando Pirates replayed. That -NPL’s coordinator, Tovey Hoebeb explained yesterday- means that the league’s decision to call for the outstanding minutes of the abandoned match to be played still stands. “The decision to replay the outstanding minutes still stands but I cannot say if the points have been awarded because the committee now have to sit to decide if what happened on May 6 will stand,” Hoebeb said. The NPL had initially ordered that the last minutes of the abandoned fixture be replayed on May 6 but Stars, instead, came with a court interdict calling for the match to be stopped. At the time, Orlando Pirates’ players were kitted out and ready to play the remaining minutes while Stars did not take part. The referee then allowed the eight minutes to proceed before whistling that the game came to an end after the allotted time elapsed. Should the points be handed to Pirates, it would give them 41 points while African Stars will remain on 42 points with just one match left for the duo. Black Africa also has 42 points but have two outstanding games to play. WINDHOEK-HECTOR MAWONGA