Windhoek
Namibia’s Under-17 squad will this year once again be joined by regulars Westphalia, South Africa and Ghana for the Four Nations Tournament to be held at Kuisebmond Stadium in Walvis Bay between March 19 and 24.
Ghana were the winners of the bi-annual tournament back in 2014 beating Westphalia in the final and will this year be back to defend the title.
South Africa too will be making a second appearance on Namibia’s coastal shores for the tournament after they finished third in Swakopmund in 2014. Tournament director Roger Kambatuku of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, says Westphalia are expected in Namibia by March 17, while South Africa and Ghana will arrive in Walvis Bay on March 19.
“We will not be using the Sports Complex in Swakopmund this time around, since they are busy with pitch rehabilitation, so Kuisebmond will obviously be the ideal option in terms of attendance and we are hoping for a great football spectacle”, Kambatuku says.
The tournament is normally held at the coast as it coincides with the popular The Namibian Newspaper Cup, which is mostly held in the interior. “They are all developmental tournaments and we take serious pride in them as a country. For us not to clash with the Namibian Cup in terms of public attendance, we prefer taking it to the coast and so far it works well for everyone,” Kambatuku explained.
Last time out, Westphalia brought their Under-17 girls team and played against the Young Gladiators, as well as the Gladiators but this time around, it will only be boys. “Our Gladiators will be heading out to Germany later this year – around September – so it is only the boys team that we will be hosting as a partner in this bilateral developmental programme between Namibia and Germany”, states Kambatuku.
Most of the Namibian team players were selected last year during the Skorpion Zinc U/17 Cup at Tsumeb when Ghana won the Four Nations International Friendly Tournament as they edged out Westphalia on penalties, while South Africa finished third and host Namibia fourth.
The Ghanaian team defeated Westphalia 4-2 on penalties after an entertaining and balanced 90 minutes at the Swakopmund Sports Complex. In the third place playoff, Buhle Mfodololo and Thendo Mukumele scored to guide South Africa to a deserved 2-0 victory over Namibia.
Namibia’s captain and goalkeeper Donovan Gainub won the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award, while Westphalia playmaker from Borussia Dortmund Academy, Serhart Kot, was voted the Best Player of the Tournament.