Maqonda Ndlovu
SEVERAL fans and local coaches have urged the Brave Warriors to ignore noises from outside their camp and continue working hard to progress to the knockout stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, currently underway in Ivory Coast.
Namibia is preparing to face neighbouring South Africa on Sunday after producing the biggest tournament upset so far by giving third-ranked former African champion Tunisia a 1-0 rude awakening on Tuesday.
South Africa meanwhile lost 2-0 to Mali and will be eager to atone for that defeat by beating the Brave Warriors and improve their chances of progressing to the next stage.
James Britz
Speaking to New Era Sport, Tigers FC head coach James Britz said the team’s win against Tunisia has brought unavoidable attention and noise to the squad from Namibians and non-Namibians alike.
“The spotlight is now on the Brave Warriors; everyone will have something to say to the coaches and the players. They must ignore the noise and continue on their path as planned. Namibians will now want to give advice to the team just for the sake of it,” Britz said.
He said Collin Benjamin’s technical team must not allow outside voices to interfere with the team as they prepare for their next match on Sunday.
Gerald Guther
Swakopmund FC Technical Director Gerald Guther said while the players should saviour their victory against Tunisia, South Africa will present a different fish to fry as they are like a ‘wounded beast who are extremely under pressure to perform’.
“South Africa has better facilities; they are more organised; they are a bigger country with bigger resources than us. I consider them underdogs of the group; hence, as a coach, I would tell the players to attack that wounded beast while it’s still down,” he said.
He added that the victory by Namibia had the opponents standing up and taking notice of the team’s performance.
Ricardo Mannetti
Former Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti called on the team to remain focused and avoid complacency, saying experienced players must come to the party.
Mannetti, who is in Ivory Coast as part of the Confederation of African Football technical team, is an expert in commentaries.
“Our match against Tunisia was well-structured and patient, and we did not give up when we missed our chances, and that only comes with experience. Credit should be given to Collin Benjamin and Ronny Kanalelo, and all the other technical team members,” he said.
He added that the team must not underestimate South Africa because their tactics didn’t work out on the day against Mali, when they lost 2-0.
“We should keep our feet on the ground, as South Africa is going to study us and return to work for that win. I call on the likes of Nyambe (Ryan), Hotto, Shalulile (Peter), Gebhardt (Ananias), Lloyd (Kazapua), and Shitembi (Petrus) to advise these young players to keep their feet on the ground so that we don’t blow away this history that we have made as we still have Mali and South Africa to play in the competition,” said Mannetti.
Woody Jacobs
Newly appointed Orlando Pirates coach Woody Jacobs said Namibia’s performance on Tuesday evening was one of the best he has witnessed in a long time by the team.
“The team had structure, they were disciplined, they played the ball, and they were finding each other. They also created many opportunities while they defended as a team. With that said, Bafana Bafana will be a different team. They will want to atone for defeat. We must come up with a solid plan and stick to it,” the former national team assistant coach said.
Namibia and South Africa have met 13 times over the years, with South Africa winning seven times, while Namibia has won two times while four matches were drawn.
Namibia has scored 12 goals while conceding 20, with the highest score between the two teams being two 4-1 victories for South Africa at the Afcon 1998 in Burkina Faso and the Cosafa Cup in South Africa.
This will be the third meeting between the two countries at Afcon, with Bafana Bafana winning the two previous matches.
Additional reporting by Nampa