Under-23s geared up for China
The national under-23 men's football team is hard at work, as they prepare to play two friendly international matches in China next month.
The matches will be played on 4 and 7 June and will form part of their preparations for the 2019 Total Africa under-23 Cup of Nations qualifiers and a chance to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games that will be held in Tokyo, Japan.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) under-23 champs is the main continental football competition for young African footballers.
The tournament, which will be held in Egypt in 2019, will see the top three teams qualifying automatically for the Olympic Games.
The fourth-place finisher plays in a playoff match against a team from the Asian Football Confederation.
A total of 16 teams will qualify to play in the 2020 Olympic Games.
Namibia Football Association technical director Timo Tjongarero, who is currently overseeing the team's training, said they are trying to assess the players in their squad; hence the reason for having any early camp.
“Our CAF qualifiers will start later this year, but by August we will know who our next opponents are.
“The purpose of us hosting early training is to have a feel of who we have in the squad, plus to identify our strengths as well as our weaknesses and where we need to improve our squad,” he said.
Tjongarero added they have 26 players in the camp and 10 of them are first-timers in the national setup.
“The boys in camp are training hard and I am hopeful they will give a good account of themselves,” Tjongarero added.
-NAMPA
The matches will be played on 4 and 7 June and will form part of their preparations for the 2019 Total Africa under-23 Cup of Nations qualifiers and a chance to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games that will be held in Tokyo, Japan.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) under-23 champs is the main continental football competition for young African footballers.
The tournament, which will be held in Egypt in 2019, will see the top three teams qualifying automatically for the Olympic Games.
The fourth-place finisher plays in a playoff match against a team from the Asian Football Confederation.
A total of 16 teams will qualify to play in the 2020 Olympic Games.
Namibia Football Association technical director Timo Tjongarero, who is currently overseeing the team's training, said they are trying to assess the players in their squad; hence the reason for having any early camp.
“Our CAF qualifiers will start later this year, but by August we will know who our next opponents are.
“The purpose of us hosting early training is to have a feel of who we have in the squad, plus to identify our strengths as well as our weaknesses and where we need to improve our squad,” he said.
Tjongarero added they have 26 players in the camp and 10 of them are first-timers in the national setup.
“The boys in camp are training hard and I am hopeful they will give a good account of themselves,” Tjongarero added.
-NAMPA
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