Kanalelo quits Brave Warriors

Ronnie Kanalelo’s second stint as Brave Warriors assistant coach ended with Namibia’s Cosafa Cup final defeat to Angola on Sunday.

Although he was in the dugout for the contest which ended in a 5-0 loss, Kanalelo, who has served as assistant to five senior national team coaches over 15 years, announced prior to kick off that he would no longer be involved with the team after the tournament.

He did not divulge the reasons for quitting the team.

“As I bow out for the last time with the Brave Warriors, I want to thank you for the support over the last two years. Your appreciation is well noticed, family and friends,” he posted on his Facebook account.

“My friend, brother and trainer of the mannschaft (Collin Benjamin), it was really an honour to serve as your assistant, you called and I had no other options but I said yes, I will run the race with you,” Kanalelo says of his time alongside Benjamin.

Kanalelo previously quit the same position following the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where he was Ricardo Mannetti’s number two.

Benjamin recalled him, and together they reached two Cosafa Cup finals in three years and qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, where Namibia finally won a match at the continental finals and made it to the knockout phase for the first time.

“Keep up the good work, and don’t take the foot off of the paddle. I know you don’t agree with my decisions, but you know, after 6 months of consideration, I decided to pull the plug, all the best,” says Kanalelo.