Staff Reporter
Windhoek
Looking to the future, Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti has called up 12 youth players for the international friendly match against Lesotho to be played on 27 March at the Sam Nujoma Stadium at 20h00.
The new players are all national under-20 and under-23 prospects that according to Mannetti form part of the team to be improved and exposed to international football as they prepare for youth international qualifiers later this year.
“The under-20s will be playing Botswana end of March and we have decided as technical team of the national teams to include them for Lesotho for much-needed exposure. They are here to supplement the first eleven. We need to improve these players and hence a lot of favourite names are on the list,” explained Mannetti.
Mannetti adds that the international friendly match remains a priority to win given the fact that it counts for rankings and the score to settle with Lesotho.
“We still have the core of the team and we still have a job to do against Lesotho. We need to beat Lesotho because they knocked us out of Cosafa last year and we need to prove ourselves. We can’t have everyone now but it also shows that there’s competition in the team and players need to play to be part of the team,” says Mannetti.
The team next assignment will be the Cosafa Cup, 27 May – 7 June in South Africa, and then resume their 2019 AFCON Group K qualifier against Zambia on the weekend of 8 September and then away and home against Mozambique on match-day three and four between 8-16 October.
Match-day five, when Namibia host Guinea, who beat them 1-0 on match-day one in June this year, will be played between 12 and 20 November 2018 and the final qualifiers, match-day six, will be played on 18-29 March 2019 as Namibia travels to Zambia.
Mozambique heads Group K with three points, with Guinea also on three in second place, followed by Namibia and Zambia on zero points after losing their opening games. The group winner and runner-up will qualify for the 2019 AFCON. – nfa.org.com
The selected players are:
Max Mbaeva (G-Arrows, SA), Calvin Spiegel, Vitapi Ngaruka, Dynamo Fredericks, Natangwe Petrus (B-Africa), Vipua Tjimune, Kaka Nekundi and Stigga Ketjijere (A-Stars), Enzo Mungendje, Romeo Kasume and Makanya Keimuine (T-Magic), Hubert Mingeri (L-Fighters), Lubeni Haukongo, Aprocius Petrus, Anthony Kham (E-Arrows), Brendon Kotungondo, Abes Iimbondi and Mashaba Karongee (Tigers), Donovan Kanjaa (Y-African), Deon Hotto-Kavendjii (B-Celtic SA), Pikes Shalulile (H-Park), Denzil Haoseb (J-Cosmos, SA), Benson Shilongo (Alssiouty SC, Egypt), Riaan Hanamub (O-Pirates), and Kennedy Eib (M-Gunners).