Brave Gladiators head coach Paulus Shipanga says Namibia received a favourable draw for the 2022 Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup scheduled for Gqeberha, South Africa from 31 August to 11 September 2022.
The Brave Gladiators drew Zambia, Lesotho and Eswatini in Group B.
Speaking to Nampa on Sunday following the outcome of the Saturday draw, Shipanga said it is not a tough draw, but a difficult one.
“We will take it one game at a day. We will try and do our best, especially with Zambia who did well at the recent WAFCON (Women’s Africa Cup of Nations). They are favourites, the rest of us will battle it out for the second position, but we will aim to beat Zambia and qualify as the top team to the next round,” Shipanga said.
He noted that Zambia will use the COSAFA matches to prepare for their World Cup journey.
In terms of preparations, he said everything was going well with more players still joining the camp, adding that his team has nothing to lose but must go to the games with a positive mind.
“We are still trying to get our combination play on point. We are also trying to improve our fitness levels with every opportunity we get. If we cannot outplay our opponents, we must be able to outrun them through fitness. There are no major injuries,” said Shipanga.
There are also efforts to try and bring in star player Zenatha Coleman, who expressed willingness to come and join the team for the tournament.
The 2022 Senior Women’s COSAFA draw was conducted during the halftime break of the final of the 2022 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women’s COSAFA Champions League Final between Green Buffaloes of Zambia and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
The draw saw the 2023 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup-bound hosts and African champions, South Africa, headline Group A where they will face Angola, Mauritius and Mozambique.
Defending champions Tanzania are in Group C, where they meet WAFCON quarterfinalists Botswana, Malawi and Comoros.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
