Staff Reporter
Windhoek-The Namibian senior football team, the Brave Warriors, as the team is affectionately known amongst its ardent followers, has had its qualifications for the Confederation of African Football 2019, CAF African Cup of Nations rescheduled.
The matches will be played between September 2018 and March 2019 due to changes in a congested calendar of qualifiers – thus allowing Africa’s representatives sufficient time for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
With reference to the decision taken by the CAF Executive Committee at its meeting on the 16th of this month, in Rabat, Morocco, to postpone day two matches of the Total Africa Cup of Nations, Afcon Cameroon 2019 qualifiers, the calendar has been adjusted accordingly.
The decision is to allow the five African qualifiers for next year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia, led by Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, to take advantage of the March window to prepare for the global showpiece.
A CAF Special Committee consisting of chairmen Kwesi Nyantakyi and Kalusha Bwalya, and the presidents of the qualified football associations, revealed the latest developments.
The Warriors were slated to play against Zambia in their Group K qualifier on the weekend of March 23, 2019 at home but will now host the Chipolopolos on the weekend of September 8, meaning the away and home matches against Mozambique on match day three and four are now moved backwards.
Match-day five, where Namibia were scheduled to host Guinea, the latter having beaten Namibia 1-0 in match-day one in June this year, will now be played between November 12 and 20 next year while the final qualifiers for match-day six, will now be played on March 18-29 2019 with Namibia travelling to Zambia.
Mozambique head Group K with three points , with Guinea also on three in second place , followed by Namibia and Zambia on zero points after losing their opening games. The group winner and runner-up will qualify for the 2019 Afcon.
The 32nd edition of the biannual 2019 Afcon finals will be hosted by Cameroon in June and July 2019 as per the decision of the CAF Executive Committee on July 20 this year to move Afcon from January/February to June/July for the first time. It will also be the first Africa Cup of Nations expanded from 16 teams to 24.