TIRI MASAWI
University of Namibia (Unam) Football Club stands to benefit from a potential N$1.6 million windfall from the CAF Confederation Cup, while Eeshoke Chula Chula FC faces a loss of the same opportunity after a late change to Namibia’s qualification arrangements.
The draw to decide which team Unam FC will face in the Caf Confederation Cup preliminary rounds, will be conducted on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt.
Chula Chula, which finished second in the 2025/2026 Namibia Premier Football League, had initially been informed by the Namibia Football Association (NFA) that it would represent Namibia in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The club subsequently wrote to the NFA confirming its participation, following communication from the association indicating that it had secured the continental slot.
However, the NFA later introduced the NFA Cup, which was won by Unam FC in June.
Unam, in a letter dated 29 June then wrote to the NFA, arguing that under CAF rules, the winner of the national cup competition should represent Namibia in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The decision has effectively shifted the financial benefit of continental participation from Chula Chula to Unam FC. Sources say CAF extended the deadline for clubs to confirm their participation, a situation which Unam FC exploited.
Clubs eliminated in the preliminary rounds will each receive a solidarity payment of US$ 100,000 (N$1.6 million) part of CAF’s continued investment in supporting participating teams and increasing engagement in its Interclub competitions.
Unam FC has already started training and preparing for the CAF competition.
Unam FC coach Robert Nauseb on Monday confirmed to the Namibia Business Review that the team is preparing for the tournament.
“The team has already started training. We are taking it one day at a time. We have no reason to rush. We still have a good four weeks to train and we are all interested in knowing who we will be meeting in the first round,” he said. He added “We have a few players that we have taken and we are giving them some good time to settle in. Aside from the players that have left the squad for Botswana, we believe we have a good enough squad to compete at that level.”
Participation in the preliminary stages is expected to give Unam FC access to about US$100,000, equivalent to roughly N$1.6 million.
The funding is significant for a Namibian football club, where revenue streams are generally limited and clubs often rely heavily on NFA monthly grants and gate takings.
For Chula Chula, the change means going from expecting to participate in a competition worth about N$1.6 million in CAF funding to receiving N$0 from the continental tournament.
Chula Chula chairman Alfred Haufiku said on Monday that the club had not received any formal communication from the NFA about the Confederation Cup.
“We are planning to call them soon to hear what is the way forward and we will let you know. As for Unam FC training for the same tournament, it is their own story. We also just heard that from the rumours, but we do not know,” he said.
The financial implications extend beyond the initial participation payment, as progression in the competition could provide clubs with additional CAF-related revenue and greater commercial exposure.Clubs are guaranteed a minimum of US$400,000 (N$6.6 million to N$6.9 million) just for reaching the group stage
The NFA has yet to publicly explain the change in qualification arrangements or how it intends to address Chula Chula’s earlier communication regarding its participation.
NFA spokesperson Cassius Moetie on Monday said: “Kindly give me some time to get back to you on this. I will see what I can do before the end of the day.”
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