Commeth the hour, commeth the man, Namibia Football Association (NFA), under the stewardship of John Muinjo, surely deserves a pat on the back for sweet-talking Africa’s football governing body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) into believing that Namibia has what it takes to stage a world class spectacle.
Skeptics have doubted that Southern Africa’s economic sleeping giant could organise such an event including meeting the deadlines in completing the construction of stadia.
And while there were some few rough edges that needed some polishing here and there, the TN mobile 9th CAF Women’s Champions took off without any major hindrance, thus dousing fears of unfinished facilities and other logistics.
A fantastic opening ceremony never seen before in this neck of the woods followed by a breathtaking performance by the Golden Brave Gladiators was enough to send shivers running rout in the bellies of the prophets of doom.
The hosts surprised all and sundry with a near faultless display in their opening match sending the much-fancied Zambians packing with a their tails firmly tucked between the legs.
It has been quite a while since the days of the Congo Hindjou and Mohammed Ouseb’s inspired Brave Warriors, side that took domestic football by storm in the late 90’s, for the locals to witness the country’s inhabitants being so united and entangled in a web of high spirits.
With pride at stake, the camaraderie among the playing personnel was evident and the girls played with heart and determination, way defying their rookie tag considering the naked truth that Women football in this part of the universe is still a baby that must first crawl, walk before it starts running.
Nevertheless, our girls hit the ground running against continental powerhouse Zambia and surely, the 2-0 score line was a genuine reflection of what transpired on the field of play. The Namibians displayed football virtuosity that would certainly leave their male counterparts green with envy, so to speak.
Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of robust Ivory Coast team should not serve as a deterrent for the locals not to go to the stadium and shout their lungs out when the Gladiators confronts the Super Falcons of Nigeria in tonight’s do or die match at the Sam Nujoma stadium.
Yours truly is not in the habit of biting more than one can chew but my somewhat oversized nostrils tells me that Jacqui Shipanga’s brigade will soldier on and get the desired result against the Nigerians, who have mathematically already qualified for the semifinals, barring a miracle.
Well, there is an old saying that anything can happen in the game of football and who will ever forget that historic night in Istanbul, Turkey 2005, when the ‘Stevie G’ inspired Liverpool come-back from the jaws of death to salvage what was then deemed an impossible task in football terms.
The Reds came from three goals down and looked dead and buried before hauling themselves up to fashion out an unbelievable draw after 90-minutes of play taking the tie into extra time and subsequent penalty kicks, with neither team finding the opposition’s back of the net in added time.
The Mersysiders eventually won the tie during the dreaded penalty shootout to claim the world’s most-sought-after silverware, the EUFA Champions League Trophy in dramatic fashion.
Remember, it’s not over until the fat lady sings, and that fat lady is none other than our own purple-haired forward Zenatha Coleman and company, so lets all go out en masse and support the girls tonight. I rest my case.