As Namibia’s Young Warriors embark upon their maiden campaign at the upcoming Africa U/20 Cup of Nations (Afcon) slated for Mauritania from 14 February until 4 March 2021, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the boys all the best of luck ahead of this important tournament.
It will not be an easy assignment for our Young Warriors, who qualified for this year’s U/20 Afcon by reaching the final of last year’s Cosafa U/20 Cup. But I however strongly believe that if the boys maintain the same momentum shown at last year’s Cosafa U/20 Cup, Namibia’s chances of going all the way in Mauritania are for all to believe and hope for.
It’s no secret, the team did not prepare as well as we all might hope for due to an assortment of setbacks such as the rampaging Covid-19 pandemic, which denied the team ample time to prepare against credible oppositions ahead of their trip to Mauritania. But we also faced more or less the same dynamics when the team competed at last year’s Cosafa U/20 Cup and they managed to prevail against all odds stacked against them to reach the final and qualify for the coming U/20 Afcon finals. They should draw inspiration from that remarkable feat.
With youngsters like the team captain Steven Damaseb, Giovani Kaninab, Prins Tjiueza and Promise Gurirab to mention but a few, we should expect the team to draw inspiration and build on the success of last year’s Cosafa U/20 Cup.
Despite this being our first time at the U/20 Afcon finals, I have solid faith that our boys can go all the way in Mauritania and make the country proud. Namibia is in Group B with Tunisia, Central African Republic (CAR) and Burkina Faso.
I hope and believe that our maiden appearance at the upcoming U/20 Afcon finals will mark the beginning of many more such appearances to come. Boys, go out there and make the country proud, wear the badge with utmost pride!!