Retired defender making strides as premier league coach

Former Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits defence hardman Richard ‘Rhuu’ Gariseb is undoubtedly one of Namibia’s best exports to the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL).

After serving Pirates in the Namibian Premier League (NPL) for six seasons, the no-nonsense defender went on to play professional football for Wits in the PSL between 2005 and 2012.

In fact, the Okahandja-born Gariseb first played a starring role in the Wits central defence to help ‘The Students’ win the National First Division during the 2005/6 season and gain promotion to the more prestigious PSL.

His sterling performances in the heart of the Wits defence was rewarded with the team’s ‘Players’ Player of the Season’ award, an upgrade to the three ‘Player of the Year’ awards he won during his amateur football days with the Katutura Sea Robbers.

“I never really played football at school level, but I sharpened my skills on the dusty streets of Nau-Aib at Okahandja from the age of seven.

“We formed a team we called Barcelona with my childhood friends in 1997, and I joined Spoilers in 1998,” Gariseb says.

The retired defender says it was during his days with Spoilers that he was drafted into an invitional team of the town, known as Okahandja XI, which played a friendly match against Pirates.

He was eventually approached by the latter to join them because of his man-marking skills.

Gariseb joined the Buccaneers in 1999, and slotted in into the right-back position with aplomb and went on to become one of the Katutura outfit’s most reliable defenders.

Gariseb wore the captain’s armband when Pirates defeated Tigers 2-1 in the NFA Cup final at Rundu in 2002 to claim their first silverware after 11 years of near misses.

He tasted international football, albeit at junior level, for the first time in the same year he joined Pirates in 1999 – after he was called up to a make-shift under-23 team.

“I count myself fortunate to have been presented with the chance to play for my country against the South African Olympic team.

“The chance came my way after the Namibian Football Association dismantled the original under-23 team over a pay dispute in Angola.

“I just grabbed the chance with both hands and made sure I made a lasting impression on late coach Lucky ‘Bazooka’ Richter. We were really fired up for the match, and although we had very little time to prepare, we held the South Africans to a goalless draw,” he says.

Gariseb caught the eyes of the senior national team selectors and received his first call-up during the King’s Cup in 2001.

The Brave Warriors clinched the international friendly match 2-1 at Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba.

“I have immensely enjoyed my time with the senior national team, which lasted for just over a decade, and we really had our thrilling moments as well despite the setbacks.

“I am honoured to have at least played in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) when we qualified for Ghana 2008.

“Oh yes, I represented my country at the Afcon, and that is every player’s dream. We may not have won a single match, but we held our own against Ghana before going down 1-0 while we drew our match against Guinea,” he says.

The Brave Warriors went crushing 4-1 against Morocco during the opening match of the 16th edition of the nations cup, which he will best remember for the torid time he was given by late Ghanaian forward Manuel ‘Junior’ Agogo, who played for Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League.

The former hard-tackling defender went on to win 53 caps for the national team, and during that time continued to impress for Wits in the PSL.

Gariseb says he had another torrid time in the colours of the national team at the hands of Senegal, who destroyed them 4-0 during a World Cup qualifier in Dakar in 2001, with the main architect being former Liverpool star El Hadji Diouf, known as ‘The Serial Killer’ during his heyday.

WORK, FAMILY

The former Pirates star has five children.

“I am responsible for preparing and taking two of my youngest children to school, because my girlfriend is a nurse and she goes to work early.

“I stay with my girlfriend and children at Swakopmund during the off-season, and I go back to Okahandja when the league starts.

“I am a coach by profession and I count myself lucky to be coaching Okahandja United in the Debmarine Namibia Premiership.

“I am honoured to have been given the responsibility to coach my home town team in the country’s top league,” he says.

Gariseb says his priority for now is to obtain a Caf C coaching licence.

“As much as I love being in charge of Okahandja United, coaching can be very stressful and challenging, because there is tremendous added pressure from the fans, but that comes with the job.

“I am very fortunate to have a chairperson who understands the dynamics of the game in Congo Hindjou. He has played football at the highest level for a very long time, and he was also a coach, so he understands what we go through as coaches,” he says.

The former Wits star says his career went full circle because he has played at almost all the levels of the game.

Gariseb’s advice to young players is the following: “The number-one key to success is discipline, but before you can even think about football at professional level, you must strive to get an education.”