Samaria: The man who’s seen every side of the game

Player, referee, referee co-ordinator, and match commissioner – few people in Namibian football have worn as many hats as former Eleven Arrows winger and chairman Frans ‘Killa’ Samaria.

His legacy isn’t just the matches he played or officiated, but also the match officials he has trained as well.

Samaria celebrated goals as an electrifying young winger for Arrows, cancelled them as a referee, and afterwards decided who gets to make those calls as a referees instructor.

After retiring as a referee, Samaria became a match commissioner and the official representative of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) domestically and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) at continental competitions.

For much of his life, Samaria has lived inside every aspect of Namibian football. It’s a rare path.

Samaria was born at Katit Pos, about 2km from St Michael’s Roman Catholic Primary School near Outjo in the Kunene region.

“We didn’t play a lot of football at St Michael’s. I was sent to the school because my grandfather worked there for the Catholic Church. I later moved to the Katolieke Inboorling Skool at Otjiwarongo,” he says.