Personality of the week – Rock at heart of City’s defence

Windhoek City Sporting Club centre back Okeri Haakuria has built a reputation as one of the toughest defenders in the Women’s Super League (WSL), earning the fitting nickname “The Rock” from her teammates.

Born and raised in Swakopmund, Haakuria’s passion for football began during her primary school years at Festus !Gonteb Primary School. Like many young girls with a love for the game, she initially watched from the sidelines as boys played football during break time.

“I used to watch the boys playing football during break time, and eventually I joined them and realised how much I loved the game,” she recalled.

Her passion quickly grew stronger. So strong that she would sometimes skip afternoon classes just to spend more time on the football field with her friends.

Although she enjoyed playing from a young age, Haakuria said she truly fell in love with football when she received her first national team call-up for the Namibia U/20 women’s team during the FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers in 2021.