Baby Warriors off to Mauritius
A squad of 20 players has been selected to represent Namibia at the Under-17 Cosafa championship in Mauritius.
NFA
The Baby Warriors have left for Mauritius to compete in the Cosafa Under-17 championship, as they look to replicate the success of their compatriots, who were crowned champions in 2016.
The Baby Warriors will take on Botswana, Seychelles and hosts Mauritius in Group A from 19 to 29 July.
They will open their bid for glory on Thursday, as they face Seychelles at 10:00 at the St Francois Xavier Stadium.
They will then face Mauritius on Saturday at 15:00 and finish off their Group A matches against Botswana on Tuesday at 12:00 at the Auguste Vollaire Stadium.
Namibia won the u-17 Cosafa champs in 2016, after defeating favorites South Africa in a 3-1 penalty shootout, following a 1-1 draw in the final that was also staged in Mauritius.
However, the team missed out on the tournament last year due to a lack of funds.
The technical team comprises of coach Paul Malembu and his assistant Shipena Nakalondo.
After weeks of intensive training and conditioning, the 2016 Cosafa Cup-winning mentor and head of delegation, Timothy Tjongarero, is content with the players' overall physical fitness levels, despite a few worries about their match fitness.
“Another worrying aspect is the lack of harmony among the players, as our usual combinations are not yet clicking, but I'm confident we will get there with time. For us it will be good to go as far as possible, hence this is a qualification tournament; we strongly need to work on the forwards and score as many goals as possible,” explained Tjongarero .
South Africa is in Group B together with Lesotho, Zambia and Mozambique, while Group C consists of Angola, Swaziland, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
The semifinals will be on 27 July, with the Group A winners up against the Group C winners and the Group B winners taking on the best loser in the competition. The final will be on 29 July and the eventual winners will qualify for the 2019 U-17 African Cup of Nations tournament to be held in Tanzania.
The Baby Warriors squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Utupuka Kavita and Ikuaterua Mungendje. Defenders: Tjpenandjambi Kaputjaza, Promise Gurirab, Vincenco Ganeb, Bradley Hanixab, Thomas Bantam, Aidyn Eiseb and Giagino Geiriseb.
Midfielders: Steven Damaseb, Esegiel Katjirijova, Prins Tjiueza, Tyrin George, Ndjiharine Katjivena, Penouua Kandjii and Edmar Kamatuka.
Strikers: Jahrule Awaseb, Gonzales Tsubeb, Friedman Goraseb, and Djorkaef Stein.
The Baby Warriors have left for Mauritius to compete in the Cosafa Under-17 championship, as they look to replicate the success of their compatriots, who were crowned champions in 2016.
The Baby Warriors will take on Botswana, Seychelles and hosts Mauritius in Group A from 19 to 29 July.
They will open their bid for glory on Thursday, as they face Seychelles at 10:00 at the St Francois Xavier Stadium.
They will then face Mauritius on Saturday at 15:00 and finish off their Group A matches against Botswana on Tuesday at 12:00 at the Auguste Vollaire Stadium.
Namibia won the u-17 Cosafa champs in 2016, after defeating favorites South Africa in a 3-1 penalty shootout, following a 1-1 draw in the final that was also staged in Mauritius.
However, the team missed out on the tournament last year due to a lack of funds.
The technical team comprises of coach Paul Malembu and his assistant Shipena Nakalondo.
After weeks of intensive training and conditioning, the 2016 Cosafa Cup-winning mentor and head of delegation, Timothy Tjongarero, is content with the players' overall physical fitness levels, despite a few worries about their match fitness.
“Another worrying aspect is the lack of harmony among the players, as our usual combinations are not yet clicking, but I'm confident we will get there with time. For us it will be good to go as far as possible, hence this is a qualification tournament; we strongly need to work on the forwards and score as many goals as possible,” explained Tjongarero .
South Africa is in Group B together with Lesotho, Zambia and Mozambique, while Group C consists of Angola, Swaziland, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
The semifinals will be on 27 July, with the Group A winners up against the Group C winners and the Group B winners taking on the best loser in the competition. The final will be on 29 July and the eventual winners will qualify for the 2019 U-17 African Cup of Nations tournament to be held in Tanzania.
The Baby Warriors squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Utupuka Kavita and Ikuaterua Mungendje. Defenders: Tjpenandjambi Kaputjaza, Promise Gurirab, Vincenco Ganeb, Bradley Hanixab, Thomas Bantam, Aidyn Eiseb and Giagino Geiriseb.
Midfielders: Steven Damaseb, Esegiel Katjirijova, Prins Tjiueza, Tyrin George, Ndjiharine Katjivena, Penouua Kandjii and Edmar Kamatuka.
Strikers: Jahrule Awaseb, Gonzales Tsubeb, Friedman Goraseb, and Djorkaef Stein.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article