Windhoek
They might be regarded as lightweights in the formidable West African football region but recent statistics send a different signal to their opponents, and Namibia would be well advised not to confront Niger with kid gloves when the two nations clash on Sunday.
The only time the two nations met before was way back in 1998, 17 years ago to be precise, in an international friendly in Niamey, Niger, which Namibia lost 2-1.
However, it will be a different ball game going into the opening leg of this weekend’s 2017 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group-H qualifier.
Fresh from being crowned regional champions, the Brave Warriors go into the match with their tails up and determined to prove that their recent exploits in the Cosafa Cup were no fluke.
Ranked five places above Niger on the latest FIFA rankings, Namibia shot to nine places up to 114th with their opponents adrift at 119th position. New Era Sport took a thorough look at the statistics, which put both teams on equal footing.
Past performance at Afcon and World Cup
Both teams have each made only two appearances at Africa’s biggest sporting showpiece – the Afcon Cup.
Namibia’s first appearance came in 1998 (Burkina Faso) and 2008 (Ghana), failing to progress beyond the first round in both attempts.
Latecomers Niger only managed their first Afcon appearance at the 2012 edition co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea but suffered a first round exit as well.
After reaching the 2012 finals, the ‘Menas’ of Niger repeated their success in the subsequent qualifiers at the expense of the much-fancied Guinea on their way to the 2013 finals in South Africa. Both teams have never managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup despite numerous attempts.
Performance at regional level
After finishing twice as runners-up in the Council of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup in 1997 and 1999, the Warriors stole international headlines when they brushed aside regional and continental giants Zambia and Zimbabwe to lift the 2015 edition of the competition for the first time.
Drawing inspiration from that success, coach Ricardo Mannetti’s charges will be out to pick up where they left off in the Cosafa Cup and hopefully expand their footprint to the rest of Africa.
But just like Namibia made history with their Cosafa Cup conquest, Niger also have a commendable story to tell. In 2010, the West African country rewrote the history books when they hosted and won the West African Economic and Mandatory Union (UEMAO) Cup, an equivalent of the Cosafa Cup. Niger followed up their 2010 UEMAO Cup triumph with their first ever qualification to the 2011 African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament.
Ahead of their departure to Niger yesterday Mannetti acknowledged it would not be an easy assignment, saying Niger can be expected to be physical and aggressive. “We are expecting a physical game, typical of West African teams. Niger is known to be a very robust side but we will ensure we use our strengths as well as make sure we avoid defeat,” Mannetti said.