Namibia’s Brave Warriors will this weekend kickstart their campaign to qualify for next year’s African Nations Championship (Chan) with a crucial tie against the unpredictable Crocodiles of Lesotho.
The first leg of the two-legged encounter will be played at the 46000 capacity Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, where the return leg is anticipated to be played as well.
Warriors, who are coming from two defeats in the African Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe, will this time around be led by Eeshoke Chula Chula’s mentor John Sikerete, who has earned respect in local football circles for his accomplishments with the northern club.
Also interestingly, the Warriors campaign has been bolstered by the inclusion of experienced midfielder and last year’s Debmarine Premiership top goal scorer Awillo Stephanus, who will be expected to add more weight to the team.
This year’s qualifiers mark Namibia’s return to the tournament after missing the 2022 edition due to financial constraints by the Namibia Football Association (NFA). Speaking to this publication ahead of tomorrow’s clash, Warriors’ young midfielder Lawrance Doeseb was optimistic about their chances against Lesotho, as they have done their homework.
“I believe the team is strong, and we have all the quality to get us the win. I think it is up to us to go out there, and get the job done. Afcon qualifiers were tough, and this is our chance to redeem ourselves,” said the youngster.
Lesotho is equally gunning to secure qualification to the 2025 Chan tournament, and are prepared to brush aside Namibia to attain that objective.
Lesotho Football Association (LFA) spokesperson Miai Kanati said Saturday’s encounter will be challenging, as both teams are determined to secure a place in next year’s Chan, but expressed confidence that the selected players will deliver the desired results.
“We lost to Namibia the last time, but we also managed to beat them in a friendly, which shows the history between the two teams, and how unpredictable this weekend’s match could be. It’s going to be a tough game against Namibia, as they are not an easy team to face, given the wealth of experienced players in their squad,” he said.
“We have a lot of newcomers, who will earn their first caps this weekend. We hope they will rise to the occasion. I have seen our opponent’s lineup, and they also have a youthful squad with a few experienced players, mostly in defence. We expect a good match against our counterparts,” he added.
The Chan is a biennial tournament, organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 2009.
The participating nations must consist of players playing in their national league competitions only.
DR Congo and Morocco are the most successful teams in this tournament with two titles each, followed by Tunisia, Libya and incumbent champions Senegal with one title each.
The tournament officially started in 2009 with eight teams, before doubling that number in the 2nd edition.
It is contested by 18 teams since the 2022 edition.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na