Brave Warriors interim coach Bobby Samaria yesterday called up a 35-man training squad, comprising local players, in preparation for the upcoming Cosafa Cup and the African Nations Championship (Chan) tournaments.
The 35-member squad, which was announced at the Football House in Katutura during a press conference yesterday, has been invited to attend a training camp, which officially starts today. The squad will hold two training sessions per day for the next coming weeks. The squad announced yesterday boasts a great mixture of the experienced and upcoming, and the country’s old-time campaigners such as Willy Stephanus, Absalom Iimbondi, Denzil Haoseb, Dynamo Fredericks, Pat-Nevin Uanivi, Emilio Martin, Larry Horaeb, Wesley Katjiteo, Panduleni Nekundi and veteran striker Hendrik Somaeb, to mention a few.
Promising youngsters such as Vitapi Ngaruka, Ivan Kamberipa, Tjiuana Tja Tjinotjiua, Wendell Rudath, Marcel Papama, Elmo Kambindu and Monis Omseb all made the 35-man squad and will be expected to learn and exchange notes with their more experienced teammates. Warriors’ interim head coach Samaria said the upcoming friendly match against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, which is slated for 8 October, will come handy as far as giving opportunities and much-needed game time to the home-based players, as they have not kicked a ball for almost 10 months.
Namibia has been without topflight football action for more than a year now as a result of the ongoing infights between the Namibia Football Association (NFA) and the Namibia Premier League (NPL), which ended in the expulsion of the NPL by the NFA.
“These players have not kicked a ball for the past 10 months and it will be unrealistic for us to expect them to go out there and achieve wonders. But I think the message is for us to at least give hope to these players to be in a position to play football. Also, it is to start preparing to Cosafa and Chan because the objective for us going to Cosafa is more with an eye on the Chan, also for us to find our combinations and I think all hope is not lost. This is an opportunity for us as NFA to send out the right message,” said Samaria.
The 2020 edition of the Cosafa Cup is slated for the 2-17 November, while the Chan takes early next year in Cameroon.
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na
The 35-man squad announced yesterday
is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Ratanda Mbazuvara, Kamaijanda Ndisiro, Jonas Matheus and Immanuel Immanuel. Defenders: Emilio Martin, Vitapi Ngaruka, Ivan Kamberipa, Pat-Nevin Uanivi, Larry Horaeb, Gregory Aukumeb, Approcius Petrus, Rehabeam Mbango, Tjiuana Tja Tjinotjiua, Erasmus Ikeinge, Johannes Mutanga, Denzil Haoseb, Kleopas Nuukushu.
Midfielders: Dynamo Fredericks, Immanuel Heita, Ambrosius Amseb, Wendell Rudath, Gustav Isaak, Alfeus Handura, Llewelyn Stanley, Absalom Iimbondi, Wesley Katjiteo, Marcel Papama, Brandon Neibeb and Willy Stephanus.
Forwards: Elmo Kambindu, Issaskar Gurirab, Panduleni Nekundi, Mapanzi Muwanei, Monis Omseb and Hendrik Somaeb.