Saintfiet to wield axe on disappointing Warriors

FOLLOWING the unsatisfactory result in the Confederation of African Nations (CHAN) encounter against Seychelles, Brave Warriors coach Tom Saintfiet plans to axe a number of his travelling contingent for the Independence Day friendly international against Botswana.

After the Brave Warriors held South Africa on March 3, it was expected that the Warriors would make light work of Seychelles but wayward finishing mean that they have made hard work of the second leg. Saintfiet says some wannabe Brave Warriors failed to rise to the occasion and subsequently may have forfeited their chance to stake a claim in the squad for future games.’I expected that some of the guys would play to show that they can be considered for future Brave Warriors matches but they disappointed me. For me they did not show enough commitment or desire to play and so we will be calling up other players that maybe will show us that they deserve to be in the team.’An irate Sainfiet hinted that Jamu Ngatjizeko, Romanus Shilongo, and Rodger Katjiteo may all get recalls for the upcoming encounter against Botswana. Saintfiet was hoping to have his captain Quinton Jacobs available from his Palestine club commitments, instead Sydney Plaatjies, Michael Pienaar and Paulus Shipanga from the South African Absa Premier Soccer League (PSL) will complete his reinforcements. ‘We have no injuries in the squad but we are not satisfied with the performance that is why we will give a chance to other players to play. Maybe they can help the country improve against Botswana,’ said Saintfiet. Sainfiet reiterated the need for players to seize their opportunities whenever they arise. All in all 26 players will be assembled from which the final 18 who will feature on match day are to be selected said Saintfiet. ‘Players must show more if they want to remain part of the Brave Warriors team. There will be 26 players called up from whom we will select the 18 players who will play against Botswana. We will announce the final 18 players before Friday.’This is the second meeting between the two neighbouring countries in the last 12 months for the same occasion. The previous match played in Keetmanshoop ended in a dull 0-0 draw. Brave Warriors team manager Tim Isaacs says the team will not want to ensure that the festivities are upheld come Sunday. ‘You cannot just a rate a team on their last performance. I think we have a 50-50 chance of winning the game. Since it’s the Independence celebrations, we will not go out there and disappoint. There will be a lot of people coming to watch the game.’The selected 25-man team is as follows: Athiel Mbaha,Virgil Vries, Maximillian Mbaeva, Steven Goagab, Ralph Ellinger, Gottlieb Nakuta, George Hummel, Richard Gariseb, Nelson Geingob, Michael Pienaar, Sydney Plaatjies, Rodger Katjiteo, Jamunovandu Ngatjizeko, Romanus Shilongo, Ninja Karongee, Rudy Louw, Tiofilus Kambungu, Ronald Ketjijere, Eslin Kamuhanga, Heinrich Isaacks, Edward Asino, Jerome Louis, Tangeni Shipahu, Eusebio Fredericks, Paulus Shipanga.