Head coach of the national under 17 football team Paul ‘Shakes’ Malembu has expressed his excitement about his team’s upcoming tour to Germany, saying the young players will gain valuable opportunities to further their skills.
The team departed yesterday to participate in a tournament, organised jointly by Namibia and Germany as part of their bilateral sports programme.
During their final training session before departure on Friday at the Namibia Football Association Technical Centre, Malembu shared his satisfaction with the team’s progress throughout the week, as they trained and assessed all the players.
He acknowledged the rarity of having a full week to prepare and train with the team, allowing him to make informed decisions regarding the potential starting line-up.
“It is not often that coaches have sufficient time to prepare and train with their teams to confidently select the potential starting eleven. I consider myself fortunate to have had a full week to train with the team – and I must say the boys are in great shape and showing improvement,” said Malembu
Despite the limited time for preparation, he assured the nation that the team is well-prepared and ready for the anticipated tournament.
The former United Stars head coach emphasised the significance of this tournament as a foundational step for the team, considering the upcoming important events later in the year, such as the Council of Southern African Football Associations Region five games.
Malembu expressed his hope to retain the current team and build upon their performance for future competitions.
“This tournament serves as a crucial foundation for our team. We have several significant tournaments scheduled for later this year, including the Cosafa Region Five games. This tournament will serve as a stepping stone towards those events. We intend to maintain the same team and further develop our cohesion and skills. We hope to retain all our players, as the team appears ready for the challenges ahead,” he said.