Chance for Warriors to impress

A BIG chance awaits the Brave Warriors to prove their hordes of Namibian supporters wrong at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on Saturday, when they meet Ethiopia in an African Nations Cup qualifier.

This year, the Warriors have lost two and won one of the three matches they have played at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, which could prove to be their slaughterhouse in future. The Namibians lost on penalties after a one-all stalemate to Seychelles in their first clash of the year during the Cosafa Castle Cup, but beat Malawi 3-2 in the same competition, before they lost 1-0 to South African in an international friendly, with all matches played at the same venue.The Sam Nujoma Stadium, which is largely perceived as a white elephant, has so far hosted high-profile matches such as the Zone Six Under-20 Youth Games and several top-notch musical performances.Despite the impressive hosting record of the stadium, especially this year, the performance of the national team will make it even more popular with the fans because of its close proximity to the majority of football supporters in Windhoek.Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile has gathered all his professionals to fight the cause for Namibia’s qualification and this Saturday will be inevitable for the team to record a win that will set the pace for future victories, especially at home.This time, Bamfuchile is faced with the challenge of finding a winning combination on the pitch.A victory against Ethiopia on Saturday and possibly against Libya in March next year will put the side in a favourable position to qualify for the next round of matches.Namibia will play their next home matches in early and late June next year against Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Bamfuchile has so far kept most of the players he used during his first match in command against Seychelles and many critics believe that the side has done well despite the inexperience of many players in the side.Despite that, most of the locally based players have not played competitively , but their efforts in making an impact this Saturday will be elevated by the presence of the professionals.The chances of the Warriors to triumph this Saturday will be boosted by the support the team will receive from their fans.The Namibians lost on penalties after a one-all stalemate to Seychelles in their first clash of the year during the Cosafa Castle Cup, but beat Malawi 3-2 in the same competition, before they lost 1-0 to South African in an international friendly, with all matches played at the same venue.The Sam Nujoma Stadium, which is largely perceived as a white elephant, has so far hosted high-profile matches such as the Zone Six Under-20 Youth Games and several top-notch musical performances.Despite the impressive hosting record of the stadium, especially this year, the performance of the national team will make it even more popular with the fans because of its close proximity to the majority of football supporters in Windhoek.Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile has gathered all his professionals to fight the cause for Namibia’s qualification and this Saturday will be inevitable for the team to record a win that will set the pace for future victories, especially at home.This time, Bamfuchile is faced with the challenge of finding a winning combination on the pitch.A victory against Ethiopia on Saturday and possibly against Libya in March next year will put the side in a favourable position to qualify for the next round of matches.Namibia will play their next home matches in early and late June next year against Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Bamfuchile has so far kept most of the players he used during his first match in command against Seychelles and many critics believe that the side has done well despite the inexperience of many players in the side.Despite that, most of the locally based players have not played competitively , but their efforts in making an impact this Saturday will be elevated by the presence of the professionals.The chances of the Warriors to triumph this Saturday will be boosted by the support the team will receive from their fans.