Brave Warriors off to Germany

THE Brave Warriors will be without six potential players who may be included in the last group of 23 when the team is set to depart for Germany for a ten-day training camp today.

The Namibia Football Association at the weekend announced a squad of 25 players who will be camping in Germany from tomorrow until December 24. Key players who will not be part of the group include midfield-cum-striker Meraai Swartbooi, who could not go because of his wedding this weekend, while several other South African-based players could not be released.Brave Warriors team manager, Tim Isaacs told The Namibian Sport yesterday that South African-based goalkeepers, Abisai Shiningayamwe (Jomo Cosmos) and Ephraim Tjihonge (Black Leopards) and veteran midfielder, Robert Nauseb (Santos) were no released by their teams.That also includes Sidney Plaatjies (Jomo Cosmos) and Mali Ngarizemo (FC Cape Town).The technical team has opted to include some new faces for the training camp, with the view of giving them exposure at the national level as Namibia is also looking beyond the African Nations Cup in Ghana.Isaacs says the players will be part of the training groups in future because the aim was to have a large pool of players who can be in line to play in both the 2010 African Nations Cup as well the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.Players who joined for the first time are Ramblers defender Luther Kanalelo, Eleven Arrows striker, Reinholdt Andimba and Tigers frontman Tangeni Shipahu.Others who got a nod after being left out for sometime include Civics defender Donelly Nel, Freedom Puriza who plays for FC AK in South African Mvela Inland Stream, Arrows defender Chris Katjiukua and Ramblers defensive strongman Jeremia Baisako.Defender Ivan Namaseb who plays FC AK was also called up, while defender Richard Gariseb of Bidvest Wits also makes a return.Among the 25 players, there are a record nine defenders, eight midfielders and five strikers as well as two goalkeepers.Some of the midfielders can also double as strikers.The foreign internationals who will be at the camp include midfielders Quinton Jacobs (Bruney SC, Turkey) and Oliver Risser of Bonner SC in Germany.Hamburg SV midfielder Collin Benjamin will also join the team.Among the new faces, Kanalelo impressed the selectors during the FNB Cup which also saw him walking away with the Player of the Series award, while Nel, has lately found his form despite the inconsistent spell of his side in the league.Both Andimba and Shipahu have been on target for their respective teams and have shown a lot of potential that ensured their inclusion in the training group.Puriza (former African Stars) and Namaseb (former Orlando Pirates) have been doing wonders for their South African-based side and have taken it to the summit of the league at the moment.New coach Arie Schans will be in charge in Germany and will be assisted by Ronnie Kanalelo and Brian Isaacs, while Kornelius Kapenda will serve as the head of delegation.The team medic is Gerson Kandjii.The players will go on a break upon their return before returning to the camp a few days before their friendly away-clash against Egypt on January 5 in Cairo.They will then play another away match in Dakar against Senegal on January 12 before leaving for Ghana.Key players who will not be part of the group include midfield-cum-striker Meraai Swartbooi, who could not go because of his wedding this weekend, while several other South African-based players could not be released.Brave Warriors team manager, Tim Isaacs told The Namibian Sport yesterday that South African-based goalkeepers, Abisai Shiningayamwe (Jomo Cosmos) and Ephraim Tjihonge (Black Leopards) and veteran midfielder, Robert Nauseb (Santos) were no released by their teams.That also includes Sidney Plaatjies (Jomo Cosmos) and Mali Ngarizemo (FC Cape Town).The technical team has opted to include some new faces for the training camp, with the view of giving them exposure at the national level as Namibia is also looking beyond the African Nations Cup in Ghana.Isaacs says the players will be part of the training groups in future because the aim was to have a large pool of players who can be in line to play in both the 2010 African Nations Cup as well the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.Players who joined for the first time are Ramblers defender Luther Kanalelo, Eleven Arrows striker, Reinholdt Andimba and Tigers frontman Tangeni Shipahu.Others who got a nod after being left out for sometime include Civics defender Donelly Nel, Freedom Puriza who plays for FC AK in South African Mvela Inland Stream, Arrows defender Chris Katjiukua and Ramblers defensive strongman Jeremia Baisako.Defender Ivan Namaseb who plays FC AK was also called up, while defender Richard Gariseb of Bidvest Wits also makes a return.Among the 25 players, there are a record nine defenders, eight midfielders and five strikers as well as two goalkeepers.Some of the midfielders can also double as strikers.The foreign internationals who will be at the camp include midfielders Quinton Jacobs (Bruney SC, Turkey) and Oliver Risser of Bonner SC in Germany.Hamburg SV midfielder Collin Benjamin will also join the team.Among the new faces, Kanalelo impressed the selectors during the FNB Cup which also saw him walking away with the Player of the Series award, while Nel, has lately found his form despite the inconsistent spell of his side in the league.Both Andimba and Shipahu have been on target for their respective teams and have shown a lot of potential that ensured their inclusion in the training group.Puriza (former African Stars) and Namaseb (former Orlando Pirates) have been doing wonders for their South African-based side and have taken it to the summit of the league at the moment.New coach Arie Schans will be in charge in Germany and will be assisted by Ronnie Kanalelo and Brian Isaacs, while Kornelius Kapenda will serve as the head of delegation.The team medic is Gerson Kandjii.The players will go on a break upon their return before returning to the camp a few days before their friendly away-clash against Egypt on January 5 in Cairo.They will then play another away match in Dakar against Senegal on January 12 before leaving for Ghana.