Somaeb pleads for SA amnesty
Brave Warriors striker Hendrik 'Ballack' Somaeb has his fingers crossed, hoping that the South African authorities will finally allow him back into that country.
JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA
WINDHOEK
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) has revealed that it is just a matter of time before Hendrik 'Ballack' Somaeb will be allowed to enter South Africa again.
The player, who is part of Namibia's 35-man squad that was called up on Monday, has been unable to play for Namibia whenever they are in South Africa because of a ban on entering that country following a breach of working permit regulations about three years ago.
Hoping for the best
“I am happy that I have been called up again and will be willing to work harder.
“I just hope that my situation that I encountered in South Africa will be resolved and I will be able to enter that country again,” Somaeb said. The player has missed out on representing Namibia at two Cosafa tournaments played in South Africa due to his situation.
Somaeb also missed out on important opportunities to train at high-performance centres with the Brave Warriors whenever they prepared for major competitions during the past three years.
As things stand, Somaeb has been included in interim coach Bobby Samaria's plans for the team that will be preparing for Cosafa and Chan.
Samaria said he included the player in his selection and it was up to the NFA to answer on the other matters relating to the player's situation in South Africa.
NFA doing all it can
Brave Warriors team manager Tim Isaacs said the NFA has been in talks with relevant authorities and it is just a matter of time before they get an answer.
“It is true that the player had been banned from entering South Africa following some complications with his stay in SA.
“We have been in talks with the relevant authorities in South Africa and we are just waiting from them to give us the green light.
“We are confident that it will all go well for the player and the situation,” Isaacs said.
The player encountered the problems during his time playing for Free State Stars and Jomo Cosmos between 2014 and 2017.
Somaeb was part of the senior national football side in 2018, playing a vital role in Namibia's Confederation of African Football (CAF) African Nations Championship (Chan).
In November 2017, he scored a brace for the country when Namibia thumped Zimbabwe 3-1 in the Dr Hage Geingob Cup, with forward Peter Shalulile scoring the other goal for the hosts.
Soon after, Somaeb made a move to Serbian top-league side FK Zemun for an undisclosed fee on the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window from coastal giants Blue Waters.
His stint in the Serbian league was short-lived, however, as he then moved to join Dynamos on 19 February 2019.
WINDHOEK
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) has revealed that it is just a matter of time before Hendrik 'Ballack' Somaeb will be allowed to enter South Africa again.
The player, who is part of Namibia's 35-man squad that was called up on Monday, has been unable to play for Namibia whenever they are in South Africa because of a ban on entering that country following a breach of working permit regulations about three years ago.
Hoping for the best
“I am happy that I have been called up again and will be willing to work harder.
“I just hope that my situation that I encountered in South Africa will be resolved and I will be able to enter that country again,” Somaeb said. The player has missed out on representing Namibia at two Cosafa tournaments played in South Africa due to his situation.
Somaeb also missed out on important opportunities to train at high-performance centres with the Brave Warriors whenever they prepared for major competitions during the past three years.
As things stand, Somaeb has been included in interim coach Bobby Samaria's plans for the team that will be preparing for Cosafa and Chan.
Samaria said he included the player in his selection and it was up to the NFA to answer on the other matters relating to the player's situation in South Africa.
NFA doing all it can
Brave Warriors team manager Tim Isaacs said the NFA has been in talks with relevant authorities and it is just a matter of time before they get an answer.
“It is true that the player had been banned from entering South Africa following some complications with his stay in SA.
“We have been in talks with the relevant authorities in South Africa and we are just waiting from them to give us the green light.
“We are confident that it will all go well for the player and the situation,” Isaacs said.
The player encountered the problems during his time playing for Free State Stars and Jomo Cosmos between 2014 and 2017.
Somaeb was part of the senior national football side in 2018, playing a vital role in Namibia's Confederation of African Football (CAF) African Nations Championship (Chan).
In November 2017, he scored a brace for the country when Namibia thumped Zimbabwe 3-1 in the Dr Hage Geingob Cup, with forward Peter Shalulile scoring the other goal for the hosts.
Soon after, Somaeb made a move to Serbian top-league side FK Zemun for an undisclosed fee on the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window from coastal giants Blue Waters.
His stint in the Serbian league was short-lived, however, as he then moved to join Dynamos on 19 February 2019.
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