Former Liverpool and Civics midfield playmaker Johannes ‘Congo’ Hindjou remains one of the most recognisable faces of the legendary Brave Warriors Class of ’98.
“As a former player, I always want to impress people. I wanted people to always talk about the young player from Okahandja who gave his all on the pitch.
“I was someone who earned the jersey of whichever team I played for. I was not a selective performer. I always impacted a game with my straightforward approach,” he says.
Hindjou says he has always taken football seriously – right from his earlier playing days as a striker for his school team, before he was permanently converted into the midfield playmaker position at Liverpool.
“I am a product of Nau-aib township at Okahandja. While today’s players attend football academies where they train on grass, we played on gravel,” he says.
“I’m actually a very poor loser, that is why I always tried to make a plan to help my team win matches.”
Born at Otjombali village, Hindjou says his football career only took off after he went to Henadawa Primary School, now renamed to Nau-Aib Primary School, where he played for the under-9 and under-11 sides.
Hindjou also played for his suburban team Kaizer Chiefs, where he enjoyed his role as striker before he was snatched up by Morokko City Stars, who played in the lower leagues.
The former midfield maestro also had spells with Young Stars and Golden Arrows.
“I must have been doing something right at my young age, because I was only a 17-year-old pupil at Okahandja Secondary School when Liverpool came knocking,” he says.
“The exposure I received by playing in a star-studded Liverpool side, which was a serious contender for the major cups, opened doors for the junior national teams.”
Hindjou was part of the Namibian under side that toured Westphalia in Germany, only to end up at the Helsinki Cup in Finland together with the likes of Jerry Zimmer, Geoffrey Roman, Gerson Kooper, Ruben van Wyk and Thiro Thlabanello.
He says that same team went on to represent Namibia at the Cosafa Under-20 Championships in Lesotho and finished in a respectable fourth place overall.
Hindjou was still a teenager when he was called up to the senior national team, the Brave Warriors.
He was at the heart of history when he helped Namibia qualify for their historic 1998 Afcon by scoring the equalising penalty against Gabon in Libreville.
He famously set up Berlin ‘Pancho’ Augumeb with a moment of pure brilliance to score the decisive goal in the unforgettable 3-2 victory over Bafana Bafana in the Cosafa Cup.
At club level, the beanpole midfield maestro won it all. Every major trophy in Namibian football sits in his cabinet.
“I won the Castle Classic Cup with Liverpool in 1995, just a year after I joined them. I was also named player of the tournament and top scorer of the tournament,” he says.
“I also won one Namibian Premier League title with Liverpool while I enjoyed the bulk of my medal haul with Civics, starting with two league titles, an NFA Cup, Swabou Cup and the Humphreys Cup.”
The personal accolades tell their own story: junior sportsman of the year, most improved player of the year, young player of the year, player of the tournament, and multiple other player of the year awards.
“Maybe I was not destined to play outside Namibia. Despite the interest shown by foreign teams and the trials I underwent, I never played abroad,” Hindjou says.
“I first went to Jomo Cosmos, but they already had too many foreigners. I never wanted to take up dual citizenship because I wanted to continue playing for Namibia.”
Namibians born before independence in 1990 could qualify as South African citizens, but Namibia didn’t allow dual citizenship.
Hindjou also went to Belgium, where he spent three months, but things did not work out. He later found himself in the lower divisions of Germany, but left within a week.
“I also signed with Black Leopards in South Africa in 2002. I had to return because I could not obtain my clearance, and there was also an issue with my work permit,” he says.
Hindjou says one of his proudest football moments came when he represented Namibia with Civics in the CAF Champions League.
“We beat Angolan giants GD Sagrada Esperança 5-2 on aggregate in 2006 in the preliminary round, only to fall short against African giants Asec Mimosas, the most successful club in Ivory Coast, in the first round.”
Hindjou, who says he grew up supporting Tigers FC and even travelled to Windhoek to come watch them play, doesn’t regret not playing professional football.
“I always believe there were good players who never had the opportunity to showcase their talent. I had a wonderful career at the club and national level. What more do I want?” he asks.
“I had to be happy with what God gave me. Of course, I wanted to play outside the country, but as a Christian, my destiny was within my country. I am still living a comfortable life.”
WORK, FAMILY
Hindjou says his life went full circle after he married Laila, and being able to ensure his wife and children do not go to bed hungry.
He says he is an entrepreneur with interests in fishing, small-scale farming, and logistics.
At the heart of Namibian football during its most glorious period between 1990 and 2000, Hindjou never truly left the game.
After a hamstring injury while playing for African Stars forced him to hang up his boots, he turned to coaching.
“I got my break when my former Brave Warriors teammate Ronnie Kanalelo was appointed coach of Eleven Arrows and asked me to be his assistant,” he says.
Today, he continues to shape the future as a chairman of Namibia Premier Football League outfit Okahandja United and player agent.
“Football made us who we are; you cannot just walk away from it. We owe it to the next generation to create opportunities for them too,” the CAF B coaching licence holder says.
He says running a football club is costly, and thanks those who have supported him – including Okahandja-based Mannes Hendricks, the managing director of Richmann Logistics, and Dirk van Schalkwyk, the executive director of SmartCater Namibia, for their financial backing.
Hindjou’s advice to young players is to work hard to achieve their goals.
“Talent only won’t take you far; you also have to work hard and be committed to your goal to achieve your dreams.”
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