Junior Warriors head coach Collin Benjamin says preparations for the Under 23 (U-23) Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers match against Angola have progressed well despite a few challenges.
Speaking to Nampa on Tuesday before their departure to Angola, where they will play the hosts in the first leg at the 11 de Nuvembro Stadium in Luanda Wednesday, Benjamin said he expects his young charges to fight for the badge and show that they have talent and the right mentality to play for the Brave Warriors.
“We are using these qualifiers to create depth for the senior team. We want to have three quality players fighting for one position in the Brave Warriors. I expected these players to show me that they are an option to play for the Brave Warriors. They have to rise above themselves by showing character and strong mentality for the challenges they will face in Luanda,” Benjamin said.
He added that the squad has enough experienced players, some of whom were part of the Brave Warriors team that lost the 2022 Council of Southern Africa Football Association (Cosafa) Cup finals in South Africa last month.
Benjamin said they started with over 40 players as they gave everyone a chance, but recently trimmed the squad to 25 before settling for 23 whom they believe will do well in the qualifiers.
“We have done what we could under the circumstances, most of the players were not as fit as they are supposed to be. But we have put in some work to improve that situation,” Benjamin said.
He added that the Namibia Football Association (NFA) leadership had opted to have the second leg match played in Luanda on 21 August due to the unavailability of an International Federation of Association Football accredited stadium in Namibia.
Meanwhile, the NFA has announced that local airline company Fly Namibia will now be the official transport carrier for all national teams from now onwards.
The final squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Garere Damaseb, Nelly Rooi, Boipelo Pieters
Defenders: Penouua Kandjii, Tuhafeni David, Alex Mumbango, Baggio Nashixwa, Rouen Tjihumba, Erastus Joseph, Kondjashili David, Josef Iipumbu
Midfielders: Tjipenandjambi Karuuombe, Samuel Muleka, Paulus Amutenya, Steven Damaseb, Edmar Kamatuka, Ngero Katua, Jovane Narib, John-Pall Beukes, Marvin Shaanika
Striker: Friedemann Goraseb, Vita Punaje, Tsuseb Gonzales, Giovano Kaninab, Lawrence Doeseb
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
