Hesron Kapanga

KORHOGO – Former Brave Warriors captain Ronald Ketjijere says Namibians should take pride in the team’s accomplishments at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (Afcon) after the team recorded a stunning 1-0 victory over favourites Tunisia on Tuesday evening.

Speaking to Nampa on Tuesday in Ivory Coast, where he was invited by the Confederation of African Football to promote Namibian and African football, Katjijere said the senior men’s national football team went through a challenging qualifying process, with all their matches played away from home.

The Brave Warriors began their 2023 Afcon championship campaign with a deserved 1-0 victory against Tunisia, where they are in Group E with South Africa and Mali, based in the northern town of Korhogo.

He said although he could not return to the team as a player at the 2023 Afcon finals despite being called up, due to injury, his absence had opened an opportunity for another player to showcase their talent.

“I am happy with what the team has achieved. The team did well in qualifying, especially since they played all their qualifying matches away from home. 

I am confident that the experience in the team that consists of 70% of players who took part at the 2019 Afcon, will help in this tournament,” he said.

Ketjijere commended the technical team for assembling a team that played most of its matches away from home and still qualified for Afcon. “The pressure on the team is to do better, as this is the fourth time Namibia is qualifying for Afcon, and they needed to break the curse of not winning a match at the competition. As a Namibian, I call on everyone to support these great players who have always done their best against the odds,” Ketjijere said.

The former captain also called on the players to go out there with confidence and continue delivering the hard work they have been doing.

“Our team’s pressing game puts opponents under pressure, and since everyone is playing away from home, each team stands a chance of making it at this competition. The current talent in the team is the future of Namibian football, and they deserve all the support and encouragement for the future of our game,” he said. 

-Nampa