Coleman not yet confirmed – Shipanga
Cosafa to test Gladiators' mettle
Brave Gladiators head coach, Paulus Shipanga, has said that there is a chance that star player Zenatha Coleman might join the squad ahead of the Cosafa Women's Championship.
Limba Mupetami
Windhoek
Zenatha Coleman’s chance of featuring in the upcoming Cosafa Women’s Championship remains unconfirmed as it is preseason for most clubs, Brave Galdiators head coach Paulus Shipanga has explained.
Shipanga explained that preseason makes it difficult for players to travel for national duty as it disrupts their schedule. However, they are still looking at having her onboard.
Coleman, the poster child of Namibian women’s football, plies her trade for Turkish Women’s First Football League club Fenerbahçe.
Shipanga added that Veweziwa Kotjipati, who plays as a right back for Tus Lipperode in Germany, is in the same predicament and that she too is an unconfirmed player.
Another senior player, Annouscka Kordom, has rejoined her club, Corban Warriors in America, and will not be back to feature for the national side.
Shipanga lamented the absence of these players, as well as the fact that there are limited players to pick from because there is no active women’s league in the country.
Tricky
He explained that he recently conducted trials and they managed to eye one or two players. However, he said these potential players lack experience, which makes it difficult to integrate them into the national side sooner.
“The time frame is not in our favour, but it is good to know that there is talent,” he said. He added that there are also the under-20s who have some experience of playing at international level and that it’s something to consider.
Shipanga currently has a squad of 32 players who still need to be trimmed ahead of the championship, which sees them in Pool B alongside Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Match time
This follows the draw conducted in Durban on Saturday.
The first match for the Gladiators will take place on 1 September against Zambia, followed by the second match on 4 September against Eswatini. The third group match will be against Lesotho on the 6 September.
Group A consist of South Africa, Angola, Mauritius and Mozambique. Group C consists of Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi and the Comoros. The competition will take place between 31 August and 11 September.
Windhoek
Zenatha Coleman’s chance of featuring in the upcoming Cosafa Women’s Championship remains unconfirmed as it is preseason for most clubs, Brave Galdiators head coach Paulus Shipanga has explained.
Shipanga explained that preseason makes it difficult for players to travel for national duty as it disrupts their schedule. However, they are still looking at having her onboard.
Coleman, the poster child of Namibian women’s football, plies her trade for Turkish Women’s First Football League club Fenerbahçe.
Shipanga added that Veweziwa Kotjipati, who plays as a right back for Tus Lipperode in Germany, is in the same predicament and that she too is an unconfirmed player.
Another senior player, Annouscka Kordom, has rejoined her club, Corban Warriors in America, and will not be back to feature for the national side.
Shipanga lamented the absence of these players, as well as the fact that there are limited players to pick from because there is no active women’s league in the country.
Tricky
He explained that he recently conducted trials and they managed to eye one or two players. However, he said these potential players lack experience, which makes it difficult to integrate them into the national side sooner.
“The time frame is not in our favour, but it is good to know that there is talent,” he said. He added that there are also the under-20s who have some experience of playing at international level and that it’s something to consider.
Shipanga currently has a squad of 32 players who still need to be trimmed ahead of the championship, which sees them in Pool B alongside Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Match time
This follows the draw conducted in Durban on Saturday.
The first match for the Gladiators will take place on 1 September against Zambia, followed by the second match on 4 September against Eswatini. The third group match will be against Lesotho on the 6 September.
Group A consist of South Africa, Angola, Mauritius and Mozambique. Group C consists of Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi and the Comoros. The competition will take place between 31 August and 11 September.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article