Jacobs speaks out

NAMIBIA’S foreign export, Quinton Jacobs, has expressed disappointment at his omission from the Brave Warriors squad, and he blasted the coaches for failing to take responsibility whenever the team loses.

Jacobs told The Namibian Sport in an interview from his Turkish-based club Brune FC yesterday that he was extremely disappointed by the decision of the technical team to drop him from the squad. Jacobs was dropped from the national team after their 2-1 loss to Libya in March this year and still feels that he was given no justification for that.He said he was played out of position during the Libya match and questioned the decision, which led to him being axed.”I was told that I am being played as a striker for tactical reasons.I am a midfielder and I will never give a hundred per cent performance if they pick me upfront.We lost the game.Now why don’t the coaches blame themselves for using wrong tactics? “Ben Bamfuchile is paid a lot of money and should take responsibility whenever the team loses through the tactics that he uses.If players are being played out of position, there will never be a good performance at all.They wanted to play Razundara Tjikuzu in defence and because he was not happy with that, they decided to drop him,” said the former Ramblers midfield genius.He said he was also not happy with claims in media reports that the foreign-based internationals used abusive language when they were substituted by local players during the Libya match.”This is not true.We respect the decisions of the coaches as professionals.At no point did any of the players say something bad to the coaches.”The Brave Warriors also have Brian Isaacks and Ronnie Kanalelo as assistant coaches to Bamfuchile.Isaacks coached Namibia’s premier league side Orlando Pirates before he quit from the domestic game, while Kanalelo formerly kept goal for South African-based premiership powerhouse Mamelodi Sundowns.Jacobs also took a swipe at Kanalelo, saying that he deserted the country when he was most needed.He said Kanalelo took up South African citizenship at the time when the Brave Warriors needed him the most.”Now he comes here and tells us that we are undisciplined and insult the coaches,” said Jacobs.Kanalelo, who also coached Black Africa, is the goalkeeper coach of the national team.Jacobs still feels that he can contribute to the success of the national team, which basically needs to win all its matches to safely land a place in the finals of the African Nations Cup in Ghana next year.”I was never allowed to show my potential.I am still willing to play for the national team.It is my country and I really want to go out there and show what I can do,” he said.He said he was hoping to be called up for Namibia’s match against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in June.Jacobs has so far played four matches for his club Brune FC, with one goal to his credit.He was named Man of the Match during one of their matches last weekend, the game in which he scored his first goal.Another player, Sidney Plaatjies, also quit the national side after the Libya match, accusing the coaches of not explaining to him why he was not in the starting line-up.He announced that he retired from the national team after that match, but Bamfuchile called him up for the clash against Libya this weekend.Plaatjies, who plays for Jomo Cosmos in South Africa, did not turn down the call.The Brave Warriors are meeting Libya in a must-win match on Saturday, coming fresh from a 2-1 defeat by Zambia in an international friendly match last Saturday in Windhoek.Jacobs was dropped from the national team after their 2-1 loss to Libya in March this year and still feels that he was given no justification for that.He said he was played out of position during the Libya match and questioned the decision, which led to him being axed.”I was told that I am being played as a striker for tactical reasons.I am a midfielder and I will never give a hundred per cent performance if they pick me upfront.We lost the game.Now why don’t the coaches blame themselves for using wrong tactics? “Ben Bamfuchile is paid a lot of money and should take responsibility whenever the team loses through the tactics that he uses.If players are being played out of position, there will never be a good performance at all.They wanted to play Razundara Tjikuzu in defence and because he was not happy with that, they decided to drop him,” said the former Ramblers midfield genius.He said he was also not happy with claims in media reports that the foreign-based internationals used abusive language when they were substituted by local players during the Libya match.”This is not true.We respect the decisions of the coaches as professionals.At no point did any of the players say something bad to the coaches.”The Brave Warriors also have Brian Isaacks and Ronnie Kanalelo as assistant coaches to Bamfuchile.Isaacks coached Namibia’s premier league side Orlando Pirates before he quit from the domestic game, while Kanalelo formerly kept goal for South African-based premiership powerhouse Mamelodi Sundowns.Jacobs also took a swipe at Kanalelo, saying that he deserted the country when he was most needed.He said Kanalelo took up South African citizenship at the time when the Brave Warriors needed him the most.”Now he comes here and tells us that we are undisciplined and insult the coaches,” said Jacobs.Kanalelo, who also coached Black Africa, is the goalkeeper coach of the national team.Jacobs still feels that he can contribute to the success of the national team, which basically needs to win all its matches to safely land a place in the finals of the African Nations Cup in Ghana next year.”I was never allowed to show my potential.I am still willing to play for the national team.It is my country and I really want to go out there and show what I can do,” he said.He said he was hoping to be called up for Namibia’s match against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in June.Jacobs has so far played four matches for his club Brune FC, with one goal to his credit.He was named Man of the Match during one of their matches last weekend, the game in which he scored his first goal.Another player, Sidney Plaatjies, also quit the national side after the Libya match, accusing the coaches of not explaining to him why he was not in the starting line-up.He announced that he retired from the national team after that match, but Bamfuchile called him up for the clash against Libya this weekend.Plaatjies, who plays for Jomo Cosmos in South Africa, did not turn down the call.The Brave Warriors are meeting Libya in a must-win match on Saturday, coming fresh from a 2-1 defeat by Zambia in an international friendly match last Saturday in Windhoek.