Young African suffered a 2-0 defeat in their first-leg CAF Confederation Cup clash against Royal Leopards on Saturday afternoon in Francistown, Botswana.
The result puts the Namibian club in a difficult position as they prepare for the decisive second leg in Eswatini.
Despite the loss, club owner Maleagi Ngarizemo delivered a message of encouragement and hope to both the players and supporters.
“First and foremost, I want you to know how incredibly proud we are of each and every one of you. You left everything on that pitch against Royal Leopards. The result may not reflect it, but your hard work, fight and spirit did not go unnoticed. We lost 2-0. But let me be very clear: this is not the end of the world.
This is not the end of our project. This was just the first half of the battle. We now have a second leg, an opportunity to go to Eswatini and redeem ourselves. This is our chance to show our true character and fighting spirit.
“Let’s stand up positively and look ahead. We must believe that we can turn the tables. If they can beat us at our home, why can’t we do the same at theirs? This mission is far from impossible. Others have done it before, so why not us?
“You are loved, my players. We appreciate you every single minute. We need to shake this off, stay positive and move forward together. I want you to still dream. I want you to keep your hopes high. Believe in yourselves as much as we believe in you. We remain the Youngile from Namibia.
To our incredible, passionate fans, we are truly sorry we couldn’t get the result we all wanted at home. Your support means the world to us. We need you now more than ever. Let’s continue to rally behind the boys. We promise you, we will try our level best to turn the tables this Friday,” he said.