The Namibian u15 men’s national team has impressed at the ongoing Fifa Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, with convincing wins over
São Tomé and Príncipe and the British Virgin Islands.
The young lads hammered São Tomé and Príncipe by 8-0,and went on to defeat the British Virgin Islands by 3-0.
Scorers of the much fancied win were Henrico Kavendji with four goals, Khomalo Zanenkosi with two goals while Wentworth
Seibeb and Jaylan Britz each netted home a goal. Kavendji, Madawa Haragaeb and Degado Pedro were on target against the British Virgin Islands.
Namibia will play Bermuda and Georgia today. However, the outcome between Namibia and Poland was not available at the time of going to print.
NFA SEES FUTURE
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) believes the country’s u15 squad participating in the inaugural Fifa u15 World Cup and Festival could form the foundation of future national teams, with the players expected to develop together through the youth ranks and eventually into the Brave Warriors.
NFA spokesperson Cassius Moetie says the tournament, taking place from 22 to 30 October,presents an important opportunity to expose young Namibian footballers to international competition and establish continuity in the national team structures.
Speaking on Desert FM’s ‘Midday Report’ on Friday ahead of the team leaving, Moetie described Namibia’s participationin the inaugural tournament as a milestone for youth football development, praising Fifa for creating a platform specifically aimed at developing young players.
“These boys have watched the Fifa World Cup for senior men and women for the past years.
Now they have the opportunity where the world will focus on them,” Moetie said. He said the squad of 14 players could remain together as they progress through the u17 and u20 national teams, competing in Fifa, Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Council ofSouthern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) competitions.
According to Moeti, this continuity could help the players develop a stronger understanding of one another over several years, potentially strengthening the senior national team in the future.
“For them to be the Brave Warriors after four, five years,just imagine that solid team that we will have, that will make the country proud,” he said.
Moetie expressed confidence in head coach Woody Jacobs, whom he described as a highly accredited coach with a CAF A licence and experience working with several top-tier Namibian clubs.
He said Jacobs and his technical team understood the demands of preparing young players for international competition, including the psychological pressure of representing their country on a global stage.
However, Moetie said the NFA had not placed the expectation of winning the tournament on the young players, stressing that the competition was an opportunity for development and international exposure.
“We have not given any expectation to say you must win the world cup. No, that was not what we know,” he said.
He added that the association had confidence in the coach’s ability to guide the team and deliver a performance that would make the country proud.
Moetie also acknowledged challenges facing the prepara-tion of national teams, particularly the lack of adequate infrastructure and facilities in
Namibia.
He said the team had prepared domestically despite limitations in the availability of facilities that match the standards and playing conditions they would encounter at international tournaments.
Moetie said the technical team was aware of these challenges and would need to ensure the players remained focused on their game plan despite the unfamiliar environment.
On financial support, he said the government and Fifa had contributed to making Namibia’s participation possible, adding that continued investment from businesses and other stakeholders remained important for the development of football.
He also called on parents to remain involved in their children’s football journeys beyond the tournament, encouraging them to attend training sessions and matches as the players progress through clubs, academies and the domestic leagues.
Moetie said the support provided to the squad before departure should continue when the players return home, as sustained encouragement would be important to their long-term development.
Namibia’s remaining group AC fixtures are against the British Virgin Islands, Poland, Bermuda and Georgia.
The tournament runs until 30 October and is designed to give participating young players continued opportunities to compete,with teams progressing through performance tiers rather than being eliminated in the opening
