Road to Cameroon begins

The Brave Warriors, ranked 119th in the world, have a date tonight with Chad's Les Sao. It's a must win match for the Namibian side, who have been drawn amongst Mali, Guinea and Chad in Group A of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers. The finals will be held in Cameroon.Warriors captain Petrus Shitembi said the team is ready to face 149th ranked Chad and that they have to lay a marker for their qualification campaign with a good result at home.“We have to go out there and prove a point. We need to make the Sam Nujoma Stadium a fortress, just like in the previous campaigns, and indeed we are focused and ready to get dirty and warm hearts tonight, as this is our fortress,” the mercurial midfielder said.Shitembi added that the return of Blackburn Rovers' Ryan Nyambe and South African-based Riaan Hanamub will surely boost the team's ability to get the desired result against Chad.“The last time I played with them was at Afcon 2019 in Cairo and now we meet again. Their experience and stature can only add value to the team and our campaign. Nyambe is one of us and blends in, and the camaraderie is exceptional, like always,” added Shitembi.“We know the nation is disappointed by Saturday's result in the Dr Hage Geingob Cup (Namibia were beaten 2-0 by Zambia), but our boys played against guys who play active football week after week, and so that difference was always going to be there. “We need the support of the nation yet again and this time things will be different indeed. We have achieved a lot and we continue to push ourselves to achieve more for our country,” Shitembi added.“It's good to be back with the lads and it's so special that I'm home. I will do my best to ensure that my home debut is memorable. We have a good team and the guys are focused on ticking the right boxes,” said Nyambe.Namibia competed at Afcon 2019 in Egypt, where they lost all their group matches against Morocco (1-0), South Africa (1-0) and Ivory Coast (4-1). Their opponents tonight withdrew from their Afcon qualifiers in 2016 due to financial constraints, and were banned from entering the 2019 edition, so they have never qualified for Afcon or the Fifa World Cup.After tonight's match the Warriors will travel to Conakry tomorrow morning to take on Guinea on Sunday in their second Group A match. Tonight's match will kick off at 18:00. Tickets cost N$30 at all Pick n Pay outlets and at Football House.LIMBA MUPETAMI

Road to Cameroon begins

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-31

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Road to Cameroon begins

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-31

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