One foot in the semi-final

LIMBA MUPETAMIWINDHOEKThe senior men’s national team gaffer, Bobby Samaria, said that the team successfully planned their wins and by the grace of God managed to get a positive result against Zimbabwe.Age is but a number“There is a lot of talk that Namibia came with an A-team, but the last time I checked, age doesn’t play football. If you are selected for the national team, irrespective of your age, if you are good enough, you are good enough, it’s that simple,” said Samaria.He also spoke about the inactive domestic league as well as the transitional league halt and how it affects the fitness of the players.“We are in a similar situation like Zimbabwe. We also didn’t have a league for almost 18 months. Two months ago, we started the Namibia Premier League transitional league. About five games were played. Beginning of June, contact sports was stopped due to Covid-19 regulations.“The Namibia Football Association was adamant that the players compete in the Cosafa. We opted to come eight days prior to the tournament to train in South Africa. We played two friendlies against Botswana (1-1) and Lesotho (nil all).“The games allowed us to work on our tactical plans,” added Samaria.Possible rotationSamaria added that the possibility is there for the likes of young Prins Tjueza and Wendell Rudath to play.“We are playing today and on Wednesday against Mozambique. Luckily, we came with a squad of 25 players; we will be allowed to utilise three other players. The boys have played two tough games and we got the results and we now have to thread carefully to ensure top spot in this group.“We will affect this chance for more players and come team selection make necessary changes accordingly, but we are not home and dry, but surely after the third game and if we win then we can give a run to others as well.Contract hopesSamaria furthermore said that there are scouts watching the matches. However, he said that lines have been cut and so they can’t reach the players directly but can go through the team manager. He however added that there are a couple of names which might sign contracts.“When we won in 2015, the likes of Peter Shalulile, the reigning PSL Player of the Year with Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates’ Deon Hotto as well as Moroka Swallows’ Virgil Vries were scouted at the tournament. That’s why it was important to bring a team and not to abscond,” concluded Samaria.The top two teams in each of the groups advance to the semi-finals, which will be played on Friday.

One foot in the semi-final

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-11-07

Please login to leave a comment

One foot in the semi-final

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-11-07

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content