Brave Warriors midfielder Deon Hotto will reach a special milestone if selected to play in their Afcon 2027 qualifying match against Comoros at Moroni on Tuesday.
The veteran winger will make history by becoming Namibia’s joint most capped player, if selected. The 35-year-old Hotto has won 86 caps for his country and just needs one more cap to join Denzil Haoseb who holds the record of 87 caps for Namibia.
Hotto made his debut for Namibia in 2013 against Malawi, and has gone on to become a Brave Warriors legend.
Namibia coach Collin Benjamin on Monday paid tribute to Hotto.
“Deon is a true professional. It’s really a pleasure working with him, a pleasure and an honour, because of his dedication to the game and to Namibia, through his professionalism and his leadership,” he said.
“He’s not a guy that talks a lot, he rather leads with his actions on the field, leading the boys, and it is just an honour to have him in the team and we wish him all the best,” he added.
Regarding Comoros, Benjamin said he expects a tough match.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough match tomorrow. They will be playing at home, and they are also wounded after losing 3-1 to Cameroon last week. It’s not that they were outplayed or didn’t have any chances – they came back and were still in the game at 2-1, but the experience of Cameroon took it over the line,” he said.
“We are expecting a tough game, they have a good record at home, and they’ll be trying to get the crosses in for their two strikers who are very mobile, aggressive and strong,
But I think out team is in a good space mentally and we are prepared. We also got a win against Congo, and that has helped to build the players’ confidence. We have two or three injuries but the players who are around are definitely hungry and they want to show their worth to the team and the country,” he said.
