Former Brave Gladiators skipper now tests referees

Queen Manga made history when she became the first Fifa-accredited referee in the country, but she has since relinquished her more challenging refereeing career to become a referee’s assessor or match commissioner.

Born at Khorixas, Manga has come a long way to mould her fledgling football career with the Polly Babes before she went on to become the Brave Gladiators’ longest-serving captain.

“It all started back home at Khorixas. I have developed a liking for football at a very young age and never played netball with my peers growing up.

“Maybe it was because I was the only girl among my cousins, and football was the only thing we could play.

“Before I knew it I started playing for my Swakopmund Secondary School team, and we also had a club known as Westside.

“I used to participate in regional tournaments with my school team, and we also travelled to the city to participate in cup competitions,” she says.

Manga matriculated in 2003 and enrolled at the then Polytechnic of Namibia (now the Namibia University of Science and Technology) to study engineering, but had to drop out of college in her second year, because she didn’t secure a bursary to further her studies.

She then qualified as an electrician at the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre.

“I joined the Ramblers women’s football team when I moved to the city, but we soon changed the name to Polly Babes after we joined forces with the Polytechnic,” Manga says.

The former defender, who excelled as an athlete at Kamwandi Combined School at Henties Bay, only concentrated on football in her high school days.

Westside were strong campaigners in the coastal women’s league, but always found the going too tough when they travelled to the city and Okahandja, where Okahandja Beauties built themselves a reputation as the number-one team in the country.

Unsurprisingly, Manga says Polly Babes’ shocking 5-1 win over Beauties remains the most memorable match of her playing career.

“It came as a surprise and shock to many, including ourselves, but yes, we hammered five past the undisputed champions of Namibian women’s football while we only conceded a solitary goal against us.

“You must understand that the Beauties also provided almost the entire first 11 of the national team. They also dominated the bench.

“However, we trained hard for that match and were top fit. We were highly motivated and ran our socks off for that victory.”

Manga describes herself as having been a strong player with lots of willpower.

“I was tough, very tough,” she says.

“For me it was either you or the ball. You can pass, but without the ball, or the ball can pass, but you will stay behind on the ground.

“I was always determined to win the ball for my team and to start playing from the back.”

Manga, who captained the Brave Gladiators between 2006 and 2012, was also part of their infamous 13-0 scalping at the hands of South Africa.

She says despite the many negative reports that followed from the failed South African trip, Banyana Banyana, who were led by their freescoring striker Portia Modise, also fielded their current coach Desiree Ellis and renowned SuperSport anchor Ayanda.

The former defender featured prominently in the regional Cosafa tournaments, while she also played against tough west African countries like Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria.

RETIREMENT

Manga, who also worked as an electrician for ABB Construction Company, says studying electricity is her biggest regret in life.

She says she should have studied sport management instead, since she is so much into sport – particularly football.

The former Polly Babes star was forced into early retirement after sustaining nagging injuries to both her knees.

She was convinced by her male friends, who were referees at the time, to go into refereeing.

She says she enjoyed this because she was added to the Fifa referees panel in 2015.

“Being listed by Fifa made me eligible to officiate at international women’s football games. I was enjoying my new career, but I must admit refereeing can take a serious toll on your mental health because it is very stressful sometimes.

“I was also officiating in Namibia Premier League matches as well as in regional international women’s tournaments.

“But unlike now that we have a complete team of international women’s referees, I travelled alone because I was the only female referee then,” she says.

Manga says high blood pressure has led her to becoming a referee instructor rather.

She says her two best refereeing experiences were when she officiated at an Olympic Games qualifier in Zambia, and during a Cosafa Cup tournament in Angola.

WORK

Manga is currently making ends meet as a referee assessor.

“During the week I go to Soccer House to help out with administration work in the referees’ office. During weekends I work for the Namibia Football Association (NFA) as a referee assessor, which is just another name for a match commissioner,” she says.

“Being a match commissioner is fun, but it also comes with its challenges, especially when people demand an explanation about a refereeing mistake on the field.

“Because of the nature of my work I can’t criticise a referee in public, because that’s unethical.”

Manga says her job is to evaluate the overall performance of all the match officials and present a comprehensive report to the NFA’s technical team.

While still mourning the passing of her former teammate and close friend Stephanie Hummel, Manga says she doesn’t miss the gruelling training regimen and cheering crowds, but has no regrets either.

Her advice to young footballers is: “Seriously consider refereeing as a career. You could make a good living if you are serious.”