Maurice Kambukwe
Kenya – Team Namibia, which will represent the country at this year’s Copa Coca Cola Africa Cup in Kenya, arrived yesterday in Thika and is ready to knuckle down to business at the youth football tournament; it officially kicks off today in the East African country.
Namibia will kick start her 2019 Copa Coca Cola Africa Cup campaign with a clash against Uganda this morning, before moving on to face Ethiopia later today for their second and last group match.
If the Namibian youngsters manage to finish top of their group or at least secure the group runner-up spot, they will proceed through to the knockout phase of the competition, where they will battle further for a place in the next stage of the cup.
Speaking to New Era Sport in Kenya’s industrial town of Thika upon the team’s arrival yesterday, head coach Rodney Doeseb said their aim is to make an impressive maiden appearance at the continent’s youth football competition with wins against Uganda and Ethiopia.
According to an upbeat Doeseb, his charges are to do battle against their fellow young African counterparts, with collecting maximum points being the main objective heading into today’s matches.
“We had two training sessions on Thursday and one on Friday just before we left for Kenya on Saturday, and we also played a friendly match with a local team. So, I believe the boys are ready to go out there and do the nation proud. We are ready to do battle,” said a confident Doeseb.
“In terms of fitness, the boys are not yet at the level which I wanted them to be because they were mostly occupied with their school exams and only had limited time for training. Our journey to Kenya was almost 24 hours, so we will rest a bit and have a technical training session, and go out and enjoy ourselves. With the quality at hand, and if we make good decisions in front of goal and remain disciplined on the field, I foresee this team can do very well in this tournament,” he added.
The gaffer added the competition will be a great opportunity for the young lads to prove themselves on the bigger stage and hopefully win some silverware on continental stage.
“This is a good platform for our young boys to compete with other countries, we will take it game by game and first deal with Uganda before wrapping it up against Ethiopia. My expectation is for the boys to win the tournament or at least reach the final. I want our boys to be noticed by the various scouts who will be in attendance during the tournament; this will help our senior national team in the future,” Doeseb highlighted.
The Copa Coca-Cola Cup is the premier global grassroots football tournament that unlocks the dreams and possibilities of the world’s football stars. It also aims to inspire young footballers to achieve their dreams through a renowned and respected football tournament in various countries globally, which continues to give voice to the faces who nurture the budding talents of young football heroes as it showcases Africa’s pride and belief in upcoming youngsters.