The Namibian deaf football team is working on final touches ahead of their participation in the third Southern Africa Deaf Championship, which kicks off in Manzini, Eswatini, next week.
The team of 18 players and five officials leaves for the international competition on Friday, Namibian Deaf Sports Federation vice-president Peter Uushona says.
Along with Namibia, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe have also been invited to the championship.
The Namibian squad has tournament pedigree and is among the favourites.
Established in 2017, the Namibian deaf football team won the football section of the inaugural regional tournament in 2019 when they beat South Africa, Zamibia and hosts Botswana.
They followed that up with the Southern Africa Deaf Football Championship title success last year.
“Namibia played against host Eswatini, Mozambique and Lesotho. We were on the top of table with nine points and clean sheets in all our games at the competition. We brought home the winners trophy and medals,” Uushona says.
“Most of the players are senior and experienced players. Some of them have been at the competition since the first Southern Africa Deaf Championship held in Windhoek in September 2019,” he says.
One of the team’s stars, Thuhafeni Shihwameni, says he is “excited to play for the Namibian deaf team and happy to represent the ‘Land of the Brave’”.
He is also looking forward to playing against different countries at the competition, sponsored by the Bible Society Eswatini.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
