BRAVE Warriors head coach Ricardo Mannetti has wagered his livelihood on Namibia being part of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations roll call.
An ecstatic Mannetti made the declaration on Sunday, following his side’s qualification for next year’s African Nations Championship (Chan) finals which will be staged in Nairobi, Kenya from 11 January to 2 February.
His side beat the Comoros 2-0 in their second-leg final-round qualifier at a near-capacity Sam Nujoma Stadium, thereby securing a 3-2 aggregate victory to guarantee the country’s third appearance at a continental tournament.
Namibia’s first appearance at a major Confederation of African Football competition was in 1998 when Mannetti was the lung-busting midfield fulcrum of the famed Brave Warriors side, which competed at the Africa Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso.
Twenty years on, Mannetti said he had unwavering faith in a troubled team which defied the odds to create more history for the nation.
“This team won a cup [2015 Cosafa Cup]; they qualified for Chan, so can I doubt ‘Stigga’ [Ronald Ketjijere] and his team not to qualify for Afcon [2019]? I’m not gonna doubt them. I’m gonna put my house and all my money on Stigga and his team to qualify for Afcon,” a drenched Mannetti told reporters after his side’s impressive display which had fans baying for more.
Forgotten man Muna Katupose rose from the bench to expertly nod in both goals, with Mannetti being vindicated in his selection of the inconsistent forward, who was deemed over the hill, ahead of younger promising talents.
The 29-year-old Katupose, who replaced the wasteful but hardworking Itamunua Keimuine at the start of the second half, cemented his name in Namibian football folklore with his latest heroics – having also scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Ethiopia in 2007 to send the Brave Warriors to the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
“I think I made a good substitution with Muna. We’ve been training for three months and Muna was never one of the fittest players. But I made it my mission to get him ready for this moment, and he responded, so he deserves all the glory,” Mannetti said of the player with a spring and heading technique similar to Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
PEP TALK
After squandering over half-a-dozen clear goalscoring chances in a nervy and erratic first half, Mannetti rearranged his frontline, hauling off ineffective winger Immanuel Heita and Keimuine in favour of Katupose and speedster Benyamin Nenkavu.
“He qualified us in 2007 for the [African] Nations Cup, and today he came out of the blue and scored two goals.
“A lot of people were like, ‘Muna is done. Muna’s too old; he’s not gonna cut it’. He proved his doubters wrong,” arguably Namibia’s most successful coach said.
While he feels indebted to all his players for their commendable effort, he singled out influential team captain Ketjijere’s role in the victory as noteworthy.
“Today was a brilliant captain’s performance. He was so mature and calm, and that is what I expect from him in every game,” said Mannetti.
“I’m a very proud coach to coach a team that has character. It was not easy to play. My players are just wonderful, man. I love the boys. For me, this was not a Mannetti show, it was your show. The fans. It was the players’ show. It was just brilliant for me to be part of this experience, and this history-making moment that we are in.”
An unhappy Comoros head coach Abderamane Chamite attempted to take the shine off Namibia’s victory, saying the home team had curried favour with the match officials.
He claimed that the visitors should have been awarded a free-kick for a foul in the build-up to Katupose’s second goal scored during added time.
“Congrats to Namibia for the victory. I have to praise them for the tactics they used on the day. We played against 14 players today. If the foul before their second goal was given, the match would be different,” the French-speaking Chamite said through an interpreter.
“Whether the score was 1-0 or 2-0 zero, they would still have been going out, so let’s not cry about that,” retorted Mannetti, who attributed the Brave Warriors’ victory down to meticulous preparations and a vociferous home support. “We were very sure of a win. In the week, we had about four scenarios which we trained for. We were not just throwing tactics around.”
Ketjijere added that a rallying pep talk the previous evening had roused the team’s fighting spirit.
“After coach Mannetti spoke to us, I also talked to some of the new boys in the team, and told them to stay calm and enjoy the moment. It’s a fantastic result for us, and we are in Kenya already as we speak,” Ketjijere said.
“The pressure was there, but there were many positives, going into the break. We just needed to take the chances that we were creating, and the goals came eventually.
TRYING PERIOD
Beset by off-field tribulations, the team performed way above themselves, and in the process trumped their critics’ never-ending condescending opinions.
Beating the Comoros, considered a footballing minnow, may not be an otherworldly accomplishment. But it means a lot to the team and fans left frustrated with no active domestic league football for nearly 14 months due to warring administrators.
Mannetti’s personnel options were severely limited, given that the Chan competition is exclusively featuring players who are active in the national championship.
A dismal showing at the Cosafa Cup in June, with his foreign-based core available, had critics writing the team’s obituary.
However, the 42-year-old coach held firm in the belief that adversity will propel his unfancied side to Kenya 2018.
