Easy access at the tip of your fingers, subscribe to our daily ePaper version of our New Era Newspaper.
Home / More friendly games are crucial – Ketjijere
More friendly games are crucial – Ketjijere
2017-10-10Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Windhoek-Brave Warriors inspirational skipper Ronald ‘Stigga’ Ketjijere believes that if Namibia is to make a serious impression at next year’s CHAN tournament, they will need to play more friendly matches against highly competitive countries. Namibia defeated Botswana 3-1 in a friendly match on Saturday at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, in a clash that was part of their 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) preparation. CHAN is slated for early January next year. A brace from striker Peter Shalulile and a goal from Roger Katjiteo propelled the Brave Warriors to a well-deserved 3-1 win over the Zebras of Botswana and captain Ketjijere says the match came in handy, as it was necessary for the players’ morale and overall match fitness. “As you know of our premier league situation here at home, it was a good run for us. Since no football is going on in the country, it important for us to play against a competitive team, like Botswana, because it’s about getting the momentum going with more game time and more training as we press ahead with our preparations for CHAN,” says Ketjijere. The skipper also identified some areas of concern for the team, such as loss of concentration at crucial times in the game, but that’s something they are willing to work on. “Despite the win, it was important for us to identify issues, such as wrong passes and lapses of concentration, and therefore these games can help us make things right and hopefully perfect our game before heading to CHAN,” Ketjijere adds. The Brave Warriors will now wait and see whom they will play in November, as coach Ricardo Mannetti has said there will possibly be two more international friendlies for the team next month. The 2018 CHAN will be the 5th edition of the finals, a biennial football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) exclusively featuring players from the respective national championships. It is scheduled to take place between January 12 and February 4, 2018 with a new host country to be announced this month after CAF stripped Kenya of the hosting rights due to lack of progress with preparations. Ethiopia, Morocco and Equatorial Guinea are contesting to host the finals. 2017-10-10Staff Report 2
