Maqonda Ndlovu
Brave Warriors head coach Collin Benjamin has attended a week-long football coaching attachment at his former club Hamburger SV in Germany.
This is in a bid to learn and improve himself ahead of the upcoming busy schedule for the national team.
Speaking to New Era Sport from Hamburg, Benjamin said that as a young coach, he wants to learn and evolve as football is continuously changing.
“The attachment gave me an opportunity to go over to a first-world country to see what they are doing, how they are doing it, what the new trends are, and how we can better our players,” Benjamin said.
He said in the week he spent there, he learned a lot, especially about individual player management, which helps improve the team.
“Bettering the individual player is the next step. When you better the player, the group benefits, and when the group benefits, the team benefits. The coach at Hamburg gave me an open door; I have been with the team 24/7 from training, team meetings, post-game press conferences, and the whole shebang,” Benjamin explained.
The former national team captain said the job of coaching has become so complex that the focus has now shifted to focusing on individuality to improve the game.
He added that he was given carte blanche to observe, ask questions, contribute, and take part in the day-to-day team activities at the club.
“It is something that is not done to everybody; the coach allowed me into his soul, and I am grateful for that. I picked up some knowledge that I will share with the coaches back home,” he said.
His attachment came courtesy of his connections within the club.
Last week, his assistant Ronnie Kanalelo also attended a refresher course in Botswana.
Meanwhile, while in Hamburg, Benjamin was given special treatment by the club’s ‘Ultras’ (the hard-core fans) from the north cave of the Hamburg stadium.
“It is something special, something out of this world; I am humbled. It is an experience that not everybody gets. After 10 years away from the club, the fans still feel that way about me,” Benjamin said.
He said he was never a big player or world star like former teammates such as Rudi van Nistelrooy, Vincent Kompany, Nigel de Jong, and many more; he was just a hardworking, normal player who gave everything, and the fans appreciate that.
“A normal Hamburg fan is a hard worker, which is perhaps why they resonate with me the way they do. That club and city will always be my home,” he said.
A video trending on social media shows Hamburg fans serenading and appreciating Collin Benjamin before the match, where he was part of the matchday television analyst for the Hamburg versus Hertha Berlin match.
Benjamin is expected back in Namibia tomorrow, where he will join the Brave Warriors as they prepare for the matches coming up between September and December 2023.