WINDHOEK – Namibia’s leading diamonds marketing and sales entity, Namib Desert Diamonds (NamDia), yesterday threw its weight behind the Brave Warriors’ ongoing quest to qualify for the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

NamDia, at a fully packed press conference in Football House, announced that they will inject extra financial incentives into national football team players currently campaigning to secure Namibia’s place at next year’s AFCON finals.

Kennedy Hamutenya, NamDia’s CEO announced that the diamond company have committed to give each player N$10 000 for a win in the ongoing qualifiers and N$5 000 for a draw. According to Hamutenya, the players have already pocketed N$20 000 each for the two-legged victories over the Mambas of Mozambique.

The deal between the Namibia Football Association (NFA) and NamDia is said to be in the region of N$800 000 and Hamutenya promised that the company’s commitment will not end with the AFCON qualifiers but talks will take place at a later stage with the aim of mapping a long-term relationship in the interest of the players.

“As Namdia, we have committed ourselves to assisting the players achieve their best and have no desire to be caught up in any of the domestic squabbles which has characterised the administration of football in this country for a long time. We are paying this money directly to the players’ account. Winning the last two games will see them bagging N$20 000. We are confident that this will serve as motivation to the players to perform at their peak,” said Hamutenya.

Hamutenya mentioned that Namdia is looking at extending the relationship with the NFA regardless of the outcome of the two matches, adding that they are committed to joining Tafel Lager as the main sponsors of the team. The monetary award is directly for the players only, with no technical team member benefiting.

Hamutenya said his management team was affected by the way the players suffer when travelling to play matches on the continent as they sometimes sleep on benches at the airport due to a lack of direct flights.

“It is sad to be told that some of our players cannot afford to buy food for their parents or birthday presents for their loved ones. This sad state of affairs is unacceptable. We need to make our players proud to carry our national flag by not allowing them to run on empty stomachs,” he sympathiysed.

 At the event, NFA Secretary General, Barry Rukoro thanked Namdia for coming on board, saying the association is looking forward to a long relationship between the two institutions. – Additional info: Nampa