Warriors duo sever Zambian ties

WILLY Stephanus and Denzyl Haoseb will add invaluable experience to the Brave Warriors ranks should they be eligible for duty at the African Nations Championships, assistant head coach Woody Jacobs said on Thursday.

The pair joined the national side’s regional tour after recently cutting short their association with Zambian Super Division side Lusaka Dynamos following a fallout over unpaid wages and a lack of playing time.

Stephanus, who signed for the club last year, “terminated his contract because he was not paid for three months”, while his compatriot Haoseb “never played for the club” since joining in January.

“We are waiting for the relevant processes and paperwork to be completed before we can say we will use them for Chan. Obviously they are very experienced quality players and we welcome them into the camp wholeheartedly,” Jacobs said.

The Chan competition is reserved for footballers who campaign in their domestic leagues only.

“Let’s not forget that we have also Afcon qualifiers coming up against Mali on 27 March away and the return leg is 31 March, so having them as fit options will really help us in a difficult time when there’s no active football to depend on,” Jacobs explained.

The pair have a combined 66 caps for the Brave Warriors who this weekend play two training matches against Oshakati Best 11 and Northern Namibia Best 11 in a bid to get match fitness for Chan which takes place in Cameroon in April.

The matches at Oshakati’s Uukwangula Stadium are the first in the Brave Warriors’ Chan Roadshow tour, with more matches against invitational sides from Otavi, Grootfontein and finally a combined Erongo regional side planned.

“This is part of the NFA’s strategy to take football to the nation and away from Windhoek. Not many people in the north get to see these players in action for their country up close, and while these are only training matches, I believe the public will appreciate the initiative,” said Jacobs.

On Friday morning, the 32-man squad will pop in at the Oshana Governor’s office at 11h30 and then head to Oshana Mall for a meet-and-greet with members of the public before holding a training session at Uukwangula Stadium at 17h30.

On Saturday, the Warriors face Oshakati Best 11 at 14h30 and then Northern Namibia Best 11 at 16h45.

“Before playing Madagascar in the Chan qualifiers, we played Hardap and //Kharas invitational teams at Mariental and those matches greatly helped us with our match fitness, so we hope to get a good workout in Oshakati and also the towns where we will play,” said Jacobs.

The training camp ends on 21 March after which the team will be trimmed to the 23 for the finals which run from 4 to 26 April.

“The idea is to have the players in the best possible shape by the time we get to Cameroon where we face tough task against players who are active in their leagues,” Jacobs said.

“It’s also an opportunity to see talent in the regions that could end up in the net. Some players may have gone under the radar and if they show that they are better than what we have, we will invite them for a closer look.”

Namibia, who will be based in Limbe, are in Group D together with Guinea, Zambia and Tanzania in Group D.

Namibia face Guinea on 7 April at 20h00, while their second game is against Tanzania on 11 April before finish off the group phase with a derby clash against Zambia on 15 April also at 20h00. All three matches are set for Limbe Stadium

In the training squad are:

Goalkeepers – Kamaiyanda Ndisiro, Ratanda Mbazuvara, Jonas Matheus, Charles Uirab and Immanuel Immanuel;

Defenders – Vitapi Ngaruka, Emilio Martin, Ivan Kamberipa, Pat-Nevin Uanivi, Rehabeam Mbango, Aprocius Petrus, Gregory Auchumeb, Larry Horaeb, Denzil Haoseb, Johannes Mutunga and Erastus Ikeinge;

Midfielders – Dynamo Fredericks, Wendell Rudath, Aubrey Amseb, Gustav lsaack, Llewellyn Stanley, Absalom limbondi, Immanuel Heita, Clephas Nuukushu, Marcel Papama, Willy Stephanus and Brendon Neibeb.

Strikers – Elmo Kambindu, Panduleni Nekundi, Issaskar Gurirab, Mapenzi Muwanei and Salomon Omseb.