Ex-Baroka FC midfielder Aichel Calane has opened up about qualifying for the CAF inter-club competition with Namibian side, Young African FC.
The 24-year-old signed for Young African in February this year from the SAFA Limpopo ABC Motsepe League outfit, Ditlou FC.
Playing in a foreign country is not something new for the Limpopo-born player, who had a stint in the Premier League of Eswatini with Tambankulu Callies FC in 2022.
Calane, who plays as a winger for the Namibian side, also represented teams such as Black Leopards and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila [TTM] in the DStv Diski Challenge [DDC].
Since he arrived at Young African in February, Calane has managed to feature in 19 games across all competitions, providing seven assists and scoring two goals.
Young African finished the 2024/25 season in second place with 54 points in the Namibian top flight, just four points behind league winners African Stars.
By virtue of finishing in second place in the league, they qualified for the Confederation Cup, while African Stars secured the Champions League spot.
In addition, Calane played an important role in helping Young African reach the finals of the 2025 MTC Maris Cup, as he scored a goal in the semi-finals against Unam FC.
But Young Africans were the runners-up in the MTC Maris Cup following their 1-0 defeat to African Stars in March 2025.
‘I’M HURT WE COULDN’T QUALIFY FOR THE CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE’, SAYS AICHEL CALANE
Despite having qualified for the Confederation Cup, ‘Rock My Soul,’ as he is affectionately known, has expressed his disappointment at failing to qualify for the Champions League after dropping the ball in their last three league matches of the season.
“To be honest with you, I’m happy that we have qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup because it will be the first time I play in a CAF inter-club competition,” said Calane in an exclusive interview with FARPost.
“However, I’m still hurt that we lost a spot in the CAF Champions League in the last three games of the season. I would have loved for us to qualify for the Champions League.
“I envisioned our team winning the league and going to the Champions League; I didn’t expect us to play in the Confederation Cup. But I believe everything has its own time and that everything happens for a reason, which is why maybe we couldn’t win the league.”
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