President to cheer for Warriors

THE presence of President Hifikepunye Pohamba and his predecessor, Sam Nujoma, will hopefully ignite the Brave Warriors to win against Ethiopia in an African Nations Cup qualifier in Katutura tomorrow.

The match kicks off at 16h00 at the Sam Nujoma Stadium. The two leaders will be attending the game to support the national team, which has failed to win on home soil for the past three years.The Acting president of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), John Muinjo, told The Namibian Sport that the two leaders would be among the thousands of spectators to gather at the stadium to spur on the Brave Warriors in their attempt to qualify for the 2008 finals in Ghana.There is pressure on the Warriors to produce the goods this time, with some of their top players assembled for the tie.The focus will be on Norwegian-based Quinton Jacobs in midfield, while the highly regarded Collin Benjamin, who turns out for German Bundesliga side Hamburg SV, is also expected to stamp his authority in the middle of the park.Jacobs, who has not played for the national side for almost three years, will go onto the pitch with the aim to claim a permanent place in the side, and his contribution will be invaluable.The former Ajax Cape Town midfield kingpin has lost weight drastically and his mobility, coupled with a great vision and exceptional passing abilities, makes him the man to watch on the day.The Namibian defence also consists of some fine defenders who have proven to be rock solid in most of their performances.Hartman Toromba, Richard Gariseb, George Hummel and Jeremia Baisako will be keeping watch on the defence line, but should guard against a lack of communication between themselves and their goalkeeper.Henrico Botes will lead the attack with either Rudolph Bester or Sidney Plaatjies, who has been rather lukewarm in front of goal.Botes, who normally plays as a lone striker, will find it tough if used as such, as he tends to receive the long and often high balls without anyone in sight to play with.Coach Ben Bamfuchile this week expressed confidence in the side, saying that all players desperately wanted to win the match.Some of the players have also expressed a need to win, as it will be their last competitive international encounter for the year.Ethiopia will be satisfied with a 1-0 victory after they won their first match against Libya, while the Namibians will be looking for at least a goal to pick up three points.Namibia is placed with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Libya and Ethiopia in Group 10 of the qualifiers.The two leaders will be attending the game to support the national team, which has failed to win on home soil for the past three years.The Acting president of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), John Muinjo, told The Namibian Sport that the two leaders would be among the thousands of spectators to gather at the stadium to spur on the Brave Warriors in their attempt to qualify for the 2008 finals in Ghana.There is pressure on the Warriors to produce the goods this time, with some of their top players assembled for the tie.The focus will be on Norwegian-based Quinton Jacobs in midfield, while the highly regarded Collin Benjamin, who turns out for German Bundesliga side Hamburg SV, is also expected to stamp his authority in the middle of the park.Jacobs, who has not played for the national side for almost three years, will go onto the pitch with the aim to claim a permanent place in the side, and his contribution will be invaluable.The former Ajax Cape Town midfield kingpin has lost weight drastically and his mobility, coupled with a great vision and exceptional passing abilities, makes him the man to watch on the day.The Namibian defence also consists of some fine defenders who have proven to be rock solid in most of their performances.Hartman Toromba, Richard Gariseb, George Hummel and Jeremia Baisako will be keeping watch on the defence line, but should guard against a lack of communication between themselves and their goalkeeper.Henrico Botes will lead the attack with either Rudolph Bester or Sidney Plaatjies, who has been rather lukewarm in front of goal.Botes, who normally plays as a lone striker, will find it tough if used as such, as he tends to receive the long and often high balls without anyone in sight to play with.Coach Ben Bamfuchile this week expressed confidence in the side, saying that all players desperately wanted to win the match.Some of the players have also expressed a need to win, as it will be their last competitive international encounter for the year.Ethiopia will be satisfied with a 1-0 victory after they won their first match against Libya, while the Namibians will be looking for at least a goal to pick up three points.Namibia is placed with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Libya and Ethiopia in Group 10 of the qualifiers.