Life Fighters F.C.

Last updated
Life Fighters F.C.
Life Fighters F.C. logo.jpeg
Full nameLife Fighters Football Club
Nickname(s)Okahirona
Founded1964;60 years ago (1964)
Ground Mokati Stadium, Otjiwarongo
Capacity1,000
ChairmanAnton Kake
League Namibia Premiership
2018–195th

Life Fighters F.C. is a Namibian professional football team based in Otjiwarongo. Nicknamed Okahirona, it competes in the Namibia Premier Football League and is one of the oldest teams in the country. [1]

Contents

History

The club was founded in 1964, the same year as Black Africa and Eleven Arrows, by a young group led by local grocery store owner Emil Kuhanga. [2] It organized exhibitions in the absence of a league structure and hosted the Ovaherero knockout tournament for the Herero-speaking teams of the region, [2] and developed a fierce rivalry with African Stars. [3] It played its first season in the new Namibia Premier League in 1987 but were relegated after only a few seasons. [2]

After returning to the top tier, the Life Fighters played in the finals of the Namibia FA Cup in 2000 and 2004, losing each time. Still, it was a great achievement for the team managed by former player Eliah Tjazerua. [3] The 2004–05 Premier League season saw them finish 15th out of 16 teams. The league had earlier made the decision to award them a 0–2 loss in Round 20 against United Africa Tigers for a "lack of security personnel," [4] and their appeal for arbitration was dismissed by the Namibia Football Association Appeals Committee. [5] After months of deliberation the league announced that the 12th through 16th placed teams were to play in a qualifying playoff to determine who would play in the actual promotion/relegation playoff. [4] Nevertheless, they refused to participate and were automatically relegated after the games were played without them. [4] [6]

The Life Fighters spent the following decade in the second and third tiers of the national league system, but diehard supporter Anton Kake took over as chairman and invested his own money to save his childhood club. [2] Under his leadership they eventually secured promotion to the top tier at the end of the 2015–16 season with four matches left. [2] [7] There was no season held the next year, although they did play in the 2017 FA Cup. [8] The team made its long-awaited return to the Premier League in 2017–18, finishing in tenth place. At the midway point the following season, they stood in third place with only three losses, and 21-year-old striker Isaskar Gurirab earned a call-up to the Namibia national team by manager Ricardo Mannetti. [9]

Domestic history

SeasonDiv.Pos.Pl.WDLGSGAP Domestic Cup
19871st1/8 finals [n 1]
19881st14308616295623 [n 2] 1/16 finals [n 3]
19891st11
19901st1/16 finals
1991/92?
19932nd8186210333714
19942nd1/16 finals
19951st
19961st
1997–981st822778323528
20001st102610412404334Runner-up
2001–021st
2002–031st
2003–041st14308517507129Runner-up
2004–051st15 [n 4] 3075183555261/8 finals
2005–062nd1/16 finals
2006–072nd
2007–082nd1120411513
2008–092nd1/16 finals
2009–103rd
2010/14?
2014–152nd6291/8 finals
2015–162nd
2016–171stnot held1/8 finals
2017–18 1st1030910112839371/16 finals
2018–19 1st52812511454341
2019–201stnot held

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Life Fighters in the Namibia Premier League and international competition since the club's foundation in 1964. To appear in the section below, a player must have represented his country's national team either while playing for Life Fighters or after departing the club.

Managers

Notes

  1. Mainstay Cup; Namibia FA Cup not played until 1990
  2. Also reported with 21 points; 15th place team Hungry Lions were awarded two 0-5 losses against them and finished with 21 points.
  3. Novel Ford Cup; Namibia FA Cup not played until 1990
  4. Life Fighters refused to play in the promotion/relegation playoffs in protest of the league's decision to award them a 0-2 loss in Round 20 against United Africa Tigers for a "lack of security personnel." The playoff was postponed but ultimately continued without them while they appealed the decision. They were eventually relegated.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester City F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Leicester City Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Leicester, East Midlands, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, following promotion from the 2023–24 EFL Championship as league champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weston-super-Mare A.F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Weston-super-Mare Association Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. Nicknamed "The Seagulls", the club is affiliated to the Somerset County Football Association and are competing in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skelmersdale United F.C.</span> Association football club in Skelmersdale, England

Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the North West Counties League Division One North and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool County Football Association and the Lancashire County Football Association.

The 1997–98 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysia Premier League</span> Football league

The Malaysia Premier League was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. It replaced the Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system.

Sydney Convinus Plaatjies is a Namibian former footballer who played as a midfielder. He played club football for Refugees FC, Blue Waters, Jomo Cosmos, Mamelodi Sundowns, Moroka Swallows, Kabuscorp, Mpumalanga Black Aces, Đồng Tháp and Blue Boys and international football for the Namibia national football team, where he was part of the Namibia squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

Athiel Mbaha is a Namibian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for the Namibia national football team. He also played for Namibian sides African Stars, Blue Waters, Orlando Pirates, Ramblers and United Africa Tigers and South African sides Black Leopards and Maritzburg United. A member of the Namibia national football team, Mbaha competed at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, playing against Ghana and Guinea, and was capped 36 times by Namibia. Mbaha has been deaf since the age of seven. He also plays chess.

Chris Katjiukua is a Namibian professional footballer who played as a defender for several South African clubs and the Namibia national football team. He has played for Eleven Arrows and African Stars in Namibia, and Lamontville Golden Arrows, Highlands Park and Black Leopards in South Africa—before finishing with a gameless stint at Cape Town Spurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Premier League</span> Mens association football league in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Premier League is a Hong Kong professional football league organised by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China. It is currently sponsored by BOC Life and officially known as BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League. The inaugural season began in September 2014. It is the top-division football league in Hong Kong.

For association football in Botswana, the Botswana First Division South is the second-tier professional football league in Botswana. Founded in 1966 after Botswana was granted independence, it is administered by the Botswana Football Association and features teams from the southern part of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">League1 Ontario</span> Semi-pro soccer league in Ontario, Canada

League1 Ontario (L1ON) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julinho Sporting F.C.</span> Namibian football club

Julinho Sporting F.C. is a Namibian football club competing in the Namibia Premier League. The team is based in Rundu in the Kavango East region. The team earned a promotion to the 2014–15 Namibia Premier League after winning the 2013–14 North East First Division title. In their first season in the Premier League, the team placed 13th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarawak United FC</span> Malaysian football club

Sarawak United Football Club was a professional football club based in Sarawak, Malaysia. The club didn't compete in the 2023 Malaysia Super League due to failed licensing appeal.

The 2016–17 season was the 137th season of competitive association football in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerard Nus</span>

Gerard Nus Casanova is a Spanish UEFA Pro license football manager who is the assistant manager of the Greece national football team.

The 2019–20 Dhivehi Premier League was the fifth season of the Dhivehi Premier League, the top-tier football league in the Maldives. The season started on 14 June 2019. TC Sports are the defending champions.

Isaskar Gurirab is a Namibian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Blue Waters fc since august 2023. He Scored in his first match since returning to the country from Orapa united in the Botswana premiere league.

Itamunua Maverinjono Keimuine is a Namibian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Dire Dawa City in the Ethiopian Premier League and for the Namibia national football team.

The 2022–23 Namibia Premier Football League was the first season of the Namibia Premiership, the top-tier football league in Namibia which replaced the Namibia Premier League, and the first full season of top-tier football in the country following the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. 1 2 "Life Fighters appoints Christy Guruseb". Kundana. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The journey of Life Fighters FC, aka 'Okahirona' unzipped". New Era . 18 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Former Life Fighters defender Eliah Tjazerua relives his football journey". New Era . 17 March 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Namibia 2004/05". RSSSF . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  5. Ihuhua, Corry (22 June 2005). "Life Fighters get no arbitration". The Namibian . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  6. Kangueehi, Kuvee (14 October 2005). "Namibia: Life Fighters Determined in Their Boycott". Namibia . AllAfrica . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  7. "Life Fighters promoted to Premier League". The Namibian . 13 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  8. Schütz, Helge (3 March 2017). "Stars take on Life Fighters in Debmarine Cup". The Namibian . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  9. 1 2 Schütz, Helge (8 March 2019). "Life Fighters, young pretenders to the throne". The Namibian . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  10. "Guruseb and Fighters part ways". New Era . 23 January 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2020.