WINDHOEK – Brave Warriors veteran skipper Ronald ‘Stigga’ Ketjijere says they are well prepared and ready to run their socks off against the visiting Black Stars of Ghana to ensure Namibia retains the revered Dr Hage Geingob Cup this weekend.
It will again be back to the grinding stone for Namibia’s mentor Ricardo Mannetti and his charges when they do battle against a youthful but well exposed Ghanaian squad this Saturday at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in the capital for the 5th edition of the Dr Hage Geingob Cup.
The Dr Hage Geingob Cup is an annual football competition which celebrates and honours the tireless contribution and commitment of Namibia’s Head of State Dr Hage Geingob to sports development, especially football, of which he is the patron.
The competition also strives to unite Namibians from all walks of life by bringing them under the same roof to celebrate the life and times of President Geingob in an atmosphere of national elation.
Sounding the war drums, Brave Warriors captain Ketjijere said their objective is to make the President proud by retaining the trophy they won last year when they stylishly defeated Zimbabwe 3-1.
“The President has been the patron of football for as long as I can remember and he has done a lot for the national teams over the years – and we can only repay him by ensuring that what is named after him remains at home and we celebrate his legacy with him. So it will be a special occasion to even shake his hand and surely all the players, especially our youngsters in the squad, will then understand what it means to play for their country,” Ketjijere said.
“The local boys know that they can claim a stake in the national team and this is a chance for them to come through and be counted. Winning this Cup last year was big as players were fighting for CHAN finals berths and now we have the AFCON qualifier against Zambia and possibly the AFCON finals next year, so the boys will surely be pumped up and ready to give their all,” added an upbeat Ketjijere.
The Black Stars are expected to arrive in Windhoek today. The first 5 000 supporters will receive various souvenirs such as caps, T-shirts and other hamper items courtesy of the event organizers and sponsors MTC, Namibia Breweries, Huawei, NWR and Air Namibia.
Tickets bought beforehand are N$30 each from Web-tickets Namibia at all Pick n Pay stores countrywide and also at Football House in Katutura.
Top local musicians will entertain the crowd before the match as well as during half-time and after the match. Artists such as Gazza, Exit, Female Donkey, One Blood, Kalux, Tate Buti and The Dogg/King Tee Dee will entertain the crowd.
– Adapted from nfa.org.na