With Namibia’s quest for the Cosafa women’s championship glory firmly in their sights, the Brave Gladiators are raring to go in a pair of international friendlies against the Lichtenstein national women’s team.
These matches, scheduled for today at 18h00 and Sunday at 10h00, serve as a crucial stepping stone in their preparation for their upcoming tournament in South Africa.
The Cosafa Women’s Championship has eluded Namibia for so many years, but coach Woody Jacobs and his squad are determined to rewrite that narrative.
Hosted by South Africa, the championship is a major target for the Gladiators, and the friendly matches against Lichtenstein provide a crucial opportunity to get in the necessary game time.
Lichtenstein’s women’s team is a relatively new outfit, having only debuted internationally in 2021.
They are not Fifa-ranked, and rely heavily on players competing in neighbouring Switzerland due to there being only three women’s football clubs in Liechtenstein.
Despite the apparent disparity, Jacobs is not taking these friendlies lightly.
He views them as crucial preparation for the Cosafa tournament.
“There’s nothing friendly about these friendlies,” he emphasised.
He wants to maximise this opportunity to ensure his team is ready for Cosafa.
The Gladiators wasted no time getting down to business, holding their first training session yesterday morning at the FC Ruggell training centre, surrounded by the majesty of the Swiss Alps and the Hoher Kasten mountains.
Jacobs was pleased with the team’s response after the long journey, and is optimistic it will translate well into the games.
“We want to use these friendlies to prepare for the Cosafa, a tournament that has been elusive for us,” he stated.
He acknowledges Liechtenstein’s lack of ranking, but views them as a first-world country, and believes these matches will provide valuable game time and the right mindset for the upcoming Cosafa challenge.
Adding depth to the squad, Germany-based players Vewe Kotjipati and Nicole Philander joined the 17 players who travelled from Namibia, giving Jacobs more options to work with.
Team doctor Hilma Uugwanga reported a clean bill of health for the Gladiators, with no major or minor injuries leading into the first friendly.
Captain Lovisa Mulunga echoed Jacobs’ sentiment, expressing the team’s readiness for the upcoming clash.Both friendly matches will be played in Ruggell, and no longer in Zurich as initially planned.
Ruggell is a municipality of 2322 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine River, where the international borders with Switzerland and Austria meet.