Kambaekwa's take on sport
Seasoned sport journalist Carlos Kambaekwa believes that more needs to be done in order to turn sport into a successful industry and not just a pastime.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
WINDHOEK
Veteran sports journalist Carlos Kambaekwa, who has been in the industry for close to 30 years, says sport is not on the government's priority list but rather at the bottom.
Kambaekwa, responding to questions on Namibian Sun's 'Sport Wrap' show on Monday, said there is no blueprint for where the lawmakers want sports to head to, and that the industry will not get there anytime soon if that is the case.
Chan analysis
He further analysed Namibia's performance at the ongoing African Nations Championship and said that despite losing all of their two group D matches and receiving negative criticism, they performed well. 'Results were disappointing but I was impressed with the performance of the team in both matches.
The score line is not a true reflection of how they performed in both matches,” he said.
In the first match the team lost 3-0 to Guinea. This result, according to Kambaekwa, was due to silly mistakes which let to goals.
'In the second match against Tanzania, with a bit of luck we could have fashioned a positive result,' he said.
He added that the players had not played football for almost two seasons and that they faced opponents coming from active leagues.
He also addressed the opinion of some armchair critics who believe the best thing would have been for the Brave Warriors to sit out the tournament until domestic matters were resolved.
'The players qualified to the competition without an active league. Also, we are members of Caf, and we get grants from Fifa. If you are not active, you forfeit the funds. So, for us to remain relevant, we needed to play,' he added.
Fix goal-scoring woes
Kambaekwa added that the Warriors have had a goal-scoring problem for years. 'We are not clinical in front of goal. I never see players scoring from outside the box. It's always tap-ins, or a header here and there. We also lose ball possession in crucial areas. These are things which need to be corrected.”
He also touched on the development of boxing locally, saying that it is the most successful sport in the country but it has been on a slippery slope for the last four to five years.
He added that boxers are being fast-tracked to becoming professionals without going through proper channels.
'We have the right trainers; the product, however, isn't there.'
On the sponsorship aspect of boxing, Kambaekwa said MTC had done a lot for sports and should be applauded for that.
Kambaekwa is writing a book about Namibian football, and he also occasionally plays with a band for fun – saying that music has always been his first love.
WINDHOEK
Veteran sports journalist Carlos Kambaekwa, who has been in the industry for close to 30 years, says sport is not on the government's priority list but rather at the bottom.
Kambaekwa, responding to questions on Namibian Sun's 'Sport Wrap' show on Monday, said there is no blueprint for where the lawmakers want sports to head to, and that the industry will not get there anytime soon if that is the case.
Chan analysis
He further analysed Namibia's performance at the ongoing African Nations Championship and said that despite losing all of their two group D matches and receiving negative criticism, they performed well. 'Results were disappointing but I was impressed with the performance of the team in both matches.
The score line is not a true reflection of how they performed in both matches,” he said.
In the first match the team lost 3-0 to Guinea. This result, according to Kambaekwa, was due to silly mistakes which let to goals.
'In the second match against Tanzania, with a bit of luck we could have fashioned a positive result,' he said.
He added that the players had not played football for almost two seasons and that they faced opponents coming from active leagues.
He also addressed the opinion of some armchair critics who believe the best thing would have been for the Brave Warriors to sit out the tournament until domestic matters were resolved.
'The players qualified to the competition without an active league. Also, we are members of Caf, and we get grants from Fifa. If you are not active, you forfeit the funds. So, for us to remain relevant, we needed to play,' he added.
Fix goal-scoring woes
Kambaekwa added that the Warriors have had a goal-scoring problem for years. 'We are not clinical in front of goal. I never see players scoring from outside the box. It's always tap-ins, or a header here and there. We also lose ball possession in crucial areas. These are things which need to be corrected.”
He also touched on the development of boxing locally, saying that it is the most successful sport in the country but it has been on a slippery slope for the last four to five years.
He added that boxers are being fast-tracked to becoming professionals without going through proper channels.
'We have the right trainers; the product, however, isn't there.'
On the sponsorship aspect of boxing, Kambaekwa said MTC had done a lot for sports and should be applauded for that.
Kambaekwa is writing a book about Namibian football, and he also occasionally plays with a band for fun – saying that music has always been his first love.
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