Namibia gears for women's Cosafa
LIMBA MUPETAMI
The Brave Gladiators of Namibia are among the nations to contend for the Cosafa Women's Championship title from July 31 to August 11.
The 2019 Council of Southern African Football Association (Cosafa) Women's Championship will be staged in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth for the second year running.
The Brave Gladiators will be participating alongside hosts and defending champions South Africa, and Angola, Botswana, Comores Islands, eSwatini, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The draw for the competition will take place on Wednesday, July 3 and will see the 12 teams split into three groups each with four sides.
The top team in each pool will advance to the semi-finals along with the best-placed runner-up.
Gladiators exited the tournament last year in the group stages despite showing character. They went down 1-0 to Zimbabwe in their first match. That encounter was then followed by a disappointing 0-0 draw against Uganda. In the third match, the Namibians surprised by coming from a goal down to register a 4-1 victory against eSwatini.
“The girls have already started training from home. They are in their second week and also ran this morning. The focus is road running, speed and strength. An official press release will be sent out this week but the players have already been informed of training,” said Jacky Gertze from the women's desk.
All the participating countries are wary of South Africa who will be fresh from their maiden appearance at the Fifa Women's World Cup.
The South Africans last year defeated Cameroon in the final and will be among the favourites in the regional showpiece competition. South Africa are, in fact, going for a hat-trick of titles after also lifting the 2017 title in Zimbabwe, and head an excellent field where the best women's talent in the southern African region will be on display.
“We are delighted to be hosting our annual women's championship in the friendly city of Port Elizabeth for a second year running,” said Cosafa president Dr Phillip Chiyangwa. “It is a city with a rich football heritage that has produced many fantastic players over the years. “People came out in huge numbers to support the tournament in 2018 and the atmosphere at matches was electric, with the standard of football on the pitch adding to the excitement and drama.
“We would once again like to thank the South African Football Association for their support, as well as our gracious hosts, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
“We are set to have an exciting field containing the best of our region and it shows once more the tremendous growth of the women's game among our members.”
The first championship was held in Zimbabwe in 2002 and was won by South Africa, who beat their hosts 2-1 in the final.
Four years later and the South Africans triumphed again at the finals in Zambia, when they beat Namibia 3-1 in the decider. South Africa then made it three in a row when they beat Zimbabwe in the finals of the 2008 tournament in Malange, Angola.
Zimbabwe claimed the title in 2011, when they also acted as hosts, defeating South Africa 1-0 in the final.
Banyana Banyana got their revenge in Bulawayo two years ago though as they ran out 2-1 winners, before winning again in Port Elizabeth for their fifth trophy win in six events.
– Additional info Cosafa
The Brave Gladiators of Namibia are among the nations to contend for the Cosafa Women's Championship title from July 31 to August 11.
The 2019 Council of Southern African Football Association (Cosafa) Women's Championship will be staged in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth for the second year running.
The Brave Gladiators will be participating alongside hosts and defending champions South Africa, and Angola, Botswana, Comores Islands, eSwatini, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The draw for the competition will take place on Wednesday, July 3 and will see the 12 teams split into three groups each with four sides.
The top team in each pool will advance to the semi-finals along with the best-placed runner-up.
Gladiators exited the tournament last year in the group stages despite showing character. They went down 1-0 to Zimbabwe in their first match. That encounter was then followed by a disappointing 0-0 draw against Uganda. In the third match, the Namibians surprised by coming from a goal down to register a 4-1 victory against eSwatini.
“The girls have already started training from home. They are in their second week and also ran this morning. The focus is road running, speed and strength. An official press release will be sent out this week but the players have already been informed of training,” said Jacky Gertze from the women's desk.
All the participating countries are wary of South Africa who will be fresh from their maiden appearance at the Fifa Women's World Cup.
The South Africans last year defeated Cameroon in the final and will be among the favourites in the regional showpiece competition. South Africa are, in fact, going for a hat-trick of titles after also lifting the 2017 title in Zimbabwe, and head an excellent field where the best women's talent in the southern African region will be on display.
“We are delighted to be hosting our annual women's championship in the friendly city of Port Elizabeth for a second year running,” said Cosafa president Dr Phillip Chiyangwa. “It is a city with a rich football heritage that has produced many fantastic players over the years. “People came out in huge numbers to support the tournament in 2018 and the atmosphere at matches was electric, with the standard of football on the pitch adding to the excitement and drama.
“We would once again like to thank the South African Football Association for their support, as well as our gracious hosts, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
“We are set to have an exciting field containing the best of our region and it shows once more the tremendous growth of the women's game among our members.”
The first championship was held in Zimbabwe in 2002 and was won by South Africa, who beat their hosts 2-1 in the final.
Four years later and the South Africans triumphed again at the finals in Zambia, when they beat Namibia 3-1 in the decider. South Africa then made it three in a row when they beat Zimbabwe in the finals of the 2008 tournament in Malange, Angola.
Zimbabwe claimed the title in 2011, when they also acted as hosts, defeating South Africa 1-0 in the final.
Banyana Banyana got their revenge in Bulawayo two years ago though as they ran out 2-1 winners, before winning again in Port Elizabeth for their fifth trophy win in six events.
– Additional info Cosafa
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