“They don’t want to believe that the player is my own daughter” – Coach alleges daughter issue caused Eleven Champion Queens FC to miss playoffs
A dispute has emerged in the Erongo Women’s Regional Football League after 2025/26 champions Eleven Champion Queens FC were disqualified and subsequently missed the promotion playoffs, with the club’s chairperson, Paulus Haikela, insisting that the player at the centre of the controversy is his own daughter.
Note: This article contains audio recordings presented as evidence that the information was obtained directly from the people involved.
Eleven Champion Queens FC finished the 2025/26 season as league champions, with Desert Queens FC finishing second.
However, a complaint lodged by Desert Queens concerning the registration and eligibility of one of Eleven Champion Queens’ players ultimately resulted in the champions miss out on promotion playoffs. Desert Queens went on to represent Erongo at the promotion playoffs and secured promotion to the Women’s Super League after winning all three of their matches.
The player at the centre of the dispute is registered as Hambeleleni Haikela.
A complaint dated June 24, 2026, seen by The Updated World, alleges that Eleven Champion Queens FC registered and used a player under another person’s identity.
Desert Queens alleged that the full birth certificate used to register Hambeleleni Haikela belonged to the biological daughter of Eleven Champion Queens chairperson Paulus Haikela.
The complaint therefore questioned whether the player who represented Eleven Champion Queens was actually the person whose identity and birth certificate were used during registration.
Desert Queens called on the league to investigate the matter, verify the player’s identity and eligibility, and take appropriate action if the allegations were confirmed.
However, the allegations remain disputed.
“She is my first daughter”
Haikela strongly disputes the claim that the player is not his daughter.
According to Haikela, the player in question is his biological daughter, and he provided documentation to support his claim.
He argues that while Desert Queens questioned the player’s identity, the club did not provide conclusive evidence showing that the player who represented Eleven Champion Queens was a different person from his daughter.
The key question is whether the player who played for Eleven Champion Queens is the same person identified on that birth certificate.
Haikela also says he went to the police and obtained a declaration concerning the matter.
According to him, the Executive Committee initially indicated that he had successfully addressed the issue, only for him to later discover that Desert Queens FC would represent Erongo at the promotion playoffs.
Player had previously played under the same name
Another significant aspect of the dispute is that, according to information obtained by The Updated World, the player had previously participated in the Erongo Women’s Regional Football League using the same name and registration details.
This raises questions about when concerns regarding the player’s identity first arose, whether the registration had previously been accepted by the relevant football authorities, and what evidence led to the complaint and eventual disqualification.
However, previous participation under the same registration details does not, on its own, prove that the registration was either valid or invalid.
The central issue remains whether the player who represented Eleven Champion Queens was the same individual whose identity documents were used during registration.
League administrator responds
The Updated World contacted the league administrator for clarification.
The administrator maintained that Eleven Champion Queens had registered and used a player under a false identity.
He alleged that the club used the full birth certificate of Haikela’s biological daughter to register and field another player.
The administrator further said Eleven Champion Queens were given almost two months to provide identification and other proof of the player’s identity.
According to him, the requested proof had still not been provided.
The administrator also rejected claims that the Desert Queens coach is the chairperson of the league, clarifying that Ismael Pele Kanangure is the league chairperson.
League chairperson confirms disqualification
The Updated World subsequently contacted Ismael Pele Kanangure.
Kanangure confirmed that Eleven Champion Queens were the 2025/26 Erongo Women’s Regional Football League champions and that Desert Queens finished second.
Kanangure also explained that information concerning the player’s identity had been received from other players and through the complaint.
However, The Updated World has not been presented with evidence from Kanangure conclusively establishing that the player who represented Eleven Champion Queens was not Haikela’s daughter and Mr. Haikela also denied working with Mr. Michael.
Eleven Champion Queens have also challenged the process followed by the Executive Committee.
In their written response dated July 19, the club said it complied with the league’s original request for a written statement and supporting documents within the prescribed deadline.
The club disputed the claim that it failed to provide documents after being granted additional time.
Eleven Champion Queens said it was initially instructed to submit its response by July 3 at 11:00am and that it complied with that instruction.
The club further argued that additional requirements, including an original national identity card, passport, school documents and the original E-Connect player card, were introduced later and were not included in the league’s initial request.
The club maintains that the player was registered on the NFA E-Connect system using an official birth certificate and that the registration was accepted through the football registration process.
Eleven Champion Queens says it never knowingly registered an ineligible player, concealed information or altered documentation.
Eleven Champion Queens has also questioned the timing and circumstances of the complaint.
The club points out that it had already completed the season as league champions when the matter resulted in its disqualification.
It further noted that Desert Queens, who finished second, ultimately benefited from the decision by representing Erongo at the promotion playoffs.
The club has called for any potential conflict of interest to be addressed and for the matter to be handled through an impartial process.
Following the disqualification, Desert Queens FC represented Erongo at the promotion playoffs.
The club won all three of its matches and secured promotion to the Women’s Super League.
What does the evidence show?
The central question remains whether the player who represented Eleven Champion Queens was actually the same person whose birth certificate and registration details were used by the club.
Desert Queens alleged that another player was using the identity of Haikela’s daughter.
Haikela maintains that the player is his biological daughter and says he provided proof to support this.
The Updated World has not independently verified the competing claims and has not seen evidence conclusively establishing that Haikela’s daughter and the player who represented Eleven Champion Queens are two different people.
For now, Desert Queens FC have secured promotion to the Women’s Super League, while Eleven Champion Queens FC continue to dispute the circumstances surrounding their disqualification.
The Updated World will continue to follow the matter and seek further documentation and responses from the relevant parties.
