Brave Warriors caretaker coach Richard Bobby Samaria says Namibia performed well at the just-ended Council of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup under the circumstances despite missing out on the knockout stages.

Speaking to Nampa a week after his team crashed out of the tournament which took place in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Samaria said the quality of football displayed at the tournament was of a high standard.

“The organisation of the tournament was good taking into consideration the COVID-19 situation. I think we were not given a chance looking at the group we found ourselves in. Winning our first games against the two favourites put a lot of pressure and expectations on the team,” Samaria said.

However, drawing one-all against Malawi put paid to Namibia’s chances of progressing to the semi-finals as the match against Mozambique was played 24 hours after the draw.

“The change in the tournament and the subsequent match against Mozambique 24 hours after the draw put the boys in a difficult position, hence the result. But we will not use that as an excuse,” Samaria stated.

He added that as a team they learned a lot of lessons in the tournament, especially the small margins of winning, drawing or losing matches.

He identified concentration levels as a contributing factor to the team’s draw and loss to Mozambique, adding that the team should also learn to convert the chances they create.

The coach said while Elmo Kambinda was in top form in front of goals, other players should chip in with goals as teams had studied him, especially in the game against Mozambique, who deployed two defenders to track him.

Samaria also took note of the fact that Namibia has not had an active league for quite some time.

“At the national team, you are not expected to work on the physical fitness of the team because of the absence of a league. You do not have a lot of time with the players to work on their fitness,” he said.

He added that the players are expected to be training on their own, but most are not motivated to train without playing.

Samaria however refused to comment on the lack of football in Namibia in the last five years for various reasons, saying football leaders are better placed to give reasons for the situation.

This was Samaria’s first Cosafa Cup tournament as a coach.

South Africa won the 20th edition of the Cosafa Cup following a 5-4 penalty shootout final win over guest nation Senegal after the match ended 0-0 after extra time.

Source: Namibia Press Agency