Many of you already know that we have special ties with Namibia. We know the miners at our mines personally. And so it came to pass that we heard about a young footballer at FC Swakopmund (SFC 1929) with a big dream. Today, the time has come and we are sharing our heartfelt project with you: Our sponsored youth player Ilenikuye Wandjiva (14 years old) has been given the incredible opportunity to further develop his sporting skills in Europe. SFC 1929 is one of the largest and oldest sports clubs in the country. As a long-standing supporter of the club, we are proud to accompany this talented young player on his journey!

Wandjiva benefited from an individual training session led by Moreno Merenda (former professional player and youth coach at Team Zugerland) – a talent factory in Central Switzerland for players aged 12 to 15.

Bruno Kobler works there in the U15 division. Merenda works closely with him and is responsible for the Footeco division (football technique coordination/cognition). He also completed training sessions within Team Zugerland under the guidance of Daniel Feuchter and Bruno Kobler.

But that was just the beginning: in the summer of 2025, Ilenikuye will also take part in the FC Bayern Campus Training Camp in Munich. This opportunity brings him a big step closer to his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

Why Kobler Zug supports this project
For over four years, we at Kobler Zug have been committed to SFC 1929 because we believe in sustainable talent development. The close connection between Kobler Zug and Peter Knäbel goes back many years: our friendship began during coach training, when Bruno Kobler obtained his diploma under Peter Knäbel. Since then, there has been a close exchange that now also benefits Ilenikuye.

Peter Knäbel, who was sporting director of FC Schalke 04 until 2023, is a football expert at SRF (Champions League) and was recently elected president of the Swiss Football Association (SFV). Kobler Zug warmly congratulates him on his election: ‘His many years of experience in international football and his commitment to promoting young talent are a real asset to Swiss football,’ says Kobler Zug.

Ilenikuye comes from the SFC 1929 Football Academy, where he has been training under head coach Gerald Güther and Tony Arjen Daugals (Swakopmund Sport Club 1929). This intensive support is bearing fruit – and we are proud to be able to make his trip possible. We have covered the costs of his trip and will continue to actively support him in the future. In addition, we presented eight sets of football jerseys to #deinballfuernamibia, and Ilenikuye received a high-quality match ball from us as a welcome gift.

To enable Ilenikuye to gain this valuable experience, he is receiving support from the German Embassy in Windhoek in the form of a visa. During his trip to Switzerland, he was accompanied by Nino Pacholski, President of SFC 1929.

SFC 1929 and Kobler Zug are firmly behind him – financially, organisationally and emotionally.

We are delighted to be able to accompany this talented young player on his journey and would like to thank everyone who is supporting this project.

With sporting regards,
Your team at Kobler Zug