Maurice Kambukwe

Namibia senior women’s hockey team head coach Erwin Handura yesterday said the country is racing against time to ensure they are well prepared and to select the best team to compete at this year’s qualifiers for next year’s Outdoor Hockey Africa Cup.

Namibia will be represented by men and women’s teams at this year’s qualifiers, which will take place from 27 August to 5 September in Harare, Zimbabwe. 

Zambia, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and the host nation are also in the race for qualification. 

While their various regional rivals have already announced their respective squads for the coming qualifiers, Namibia is yet to assemble hers, and coach Handura yesterday admitted it will present a challenge should they not complete their final squads in the coming days.

Only two teams – men and women – from the region will qualify for next year’s Outdoor Hockey Africa Cup. 

The challenge facing Handura and his fellow technical staff is that the local indoor and outdoor leagues have not yet concluded, which makes it impossible for selectors to call up players into the national teams’ training camps, as they also have to represent their respective clubs in the local leagues. 

“The union requested clubs to nominate players available for the upcoming qualifiers – and the due date for nominations was on 27 May, which has already past, and no final squad has been finalised yet. Namibia is behind schedule with preparations for this event, as Zimbabwe and Zambia have already announced their squads. Besides that, our indoor leagues started in February and will only be completed this coming weekend. Thereafter, the outdoor leagues will then kick off, and that will make it hard for us to select a strong team,” he said.

The veteran coach believes the team could face stiff competition from opponents such as Zimbabwe and Zambia, who have had a fair share of success against Namibia in the past.

“It’s going to be an uphill battle for Namibia against countries such Zambia and Zimbabwe, who seem to be ready and well prepared for this event. When it comes to this sport, it is all about how you prepared – and if you don’t prepare well on time, that means your chances of advancing are very limited,” he added.

Handura will, however, not guide the women’s team this time around, saying the Namibia Hockey Union will announce his replacement in the coming days.

“I won’t be available for these qualifiers, as I have work commitments to take care of,” he said.

- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na