Windhoek
Refusing to be overwhelmed by his newly found success in having become Namibia’s first ever coach to win the Cosafa Cup, Brave Warriors mentor Ricardo Mannetti says consistency will be top of his agenda heading into the 2017 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Niger, on June 14 in Niamey, Niger.
To ensure the players are super fit and ready to compete at the highest level, the Brave Warriors will tomorrow leave for South Africa where they will be based at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria, wrapping up their preparations before heading to Niger next week Thursday.
Announcing his squad for the 2017 Afcon qualifiers yesterday in the capital, Mannetti made no changes to the Cosafa Cup winning team, emphasising he wants consistency and unison within the squad.
“ While we celebrate our historic Cosafa Cup victory, let’s not forget we still have a huge mountain to climb and expectations are now high as well. We made a massive statement at Cosafa and we need to keep improving and also do well in the rest of Africa. Cosafa is over and we need to move on and focus on the next big job at hand, which is first of all the match against Niger on June 14. I’m not yet satisfied with our standards and want us to deliver even more,” says Mannetti.
Besides the 20 man-squad that conquered this year’s Cosafa Cup, Mannetti also announced an additonal nine-man squad that will travel with the Brave Warriors to the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
The additional nine players called up form part of the Namibian team that will compete in the 2016 African Nations Championships (CHAN) qualifier against Zambia on June 21, at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek.
A few of the players on the nine-man list will act as back-up players in case of any injuries ahead of the Niger clash.
The travelling team: Goalkeepers: Virgil Vries and Maximillian Mbaeva. Defenders: Willem Mwedihanga, Chris Katjiukua, Denzil Hoaseb, Ananias Gebhardt, Gregory Aukumeb, Dennis Ngueza Tjetinda. Midfielders: Neville Tjiueza, Willy Stephanus, Heinrich Isaacks, Peter Shalulile, Ronald Ketjijere (C), Wangu Batista-Gomes, Joslin Kamatuka, Petrus Shitembi, Deon Hotto. Strikers: Itamunua Keimuine Sadney Urikhob and Benson Shilongo.
The additional nine players invited for training: Lloyd Kazapua, Absalom Iimbondi and Benyamin Nenkavu (Tigers), Charles Uirab and Brian Gurirab (Orlando Pirates), Ferdinand Karongee (African Stars), Dynamo Fredericks (Black Africa) and Charles Hambira and Tiberius Lombard (Tura Magic).