Country Profile
Namibia, a large and sparsely populated country on Africa's south-west coast, enjoyed more than a decade of stability under its founding president Sam Nujoma, who led the long fight against rule by South Africa.
Germany took control of the area which it called South West Africa in the late 1800s. The discovery of diamonds in 1908 prompted an influx of Europeans. South Africa seized it during World War I and administered it under a League of Nations mandate.
Full name: The Republic of Namibia
Population: 2 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Windhoek
Area: 824,292 sq km (318,261 sq miles)
Major languages: English (official), Afrikaans, German, Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 48 years (men), 49 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Namibian dollar = 100 cents
Main exports: Diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium, and livestock
GNI per capita: US $2,370 (World Bank, 2005)
Football academies
Namibia, a nation of 1.8 million people has the disadvantage of having to choose its best soccer players from among a pool of roughly 2000 players countrywide while other countries such as neighboring South Africa and Zimbabwe have the luxury of having to choose from millions of players.
This anomaly therefore puts a heavy demand on Namibian soccer authorities to work thrice as hard to ensure that local players compete with the best that the region and the continent has to offer.
Sadly, the reality in Namibia has been that no official soccer development structures were in place for a long time. To that end, the Namibia Football Association (NFA) has encouraged soccer enthusiasts, community leaders and former players to get involved in the development of the game at grassroots level.
Two of the country’s best known players, Collin Benjamin who plays for Hamburg SV in Germany and Mohamed Ouseb who played for Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa) and Lyn Oslo in Norway and is now at Moroka Swallows in South Africa, have opened academies named after themselves. This has also created an opportunity for other individuals to establish their own soccer schools and soccer development projects. These include the Mario Nailenge Soccer Academy, Khomasdal Football Academy, Namibia Youth Football Development Programme. Outside the capital, Windhoek, other towns such as Oshakati, Ongwediva, Keetmanshoop and Luderitz have also established youth teams and will soon start with youth leagues in these areas. Several Namibian Premier League clubs like African Stars, Orlando Pirates, Tigers and Civics have established Under-17 sides which are playing in the Khomas Regional Under-17 Youth Soccer League which kicked off in June 2007.
The Under-17 league concept was piloted in the Khomas and Kavango regions where the first season was a resounding success. The project will now be devolved to the other regions until all 13 political regions have been covered.
How the team Qualified
THE Brave Warriors miraculously made their second entry into the African Nations Cup, after a stunning 3-2 victory over Ethiopia in their last match in Addis Ababa earlier in September.
Namibia had to win the match to top the Group with 10 points and had to hope that their biggest rival in the same group, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lose against Libya.
But before the actual qualification, the Namibian Warriors had a shaky and rather rocky path to the continents biggest footballing show-piece.
Ahead of the Ethiopia match, which was the decider, the Namibian team only had two weeks to train as a team. The main reason was the lack of money to put the team through earlier training camps.
But with the Government´s intervention at last minute, head coach Ben Bamfuchile and his two assistant coaches, Brian Isaacs and Ronnie Kanalelo, called to camp 15 local players to get them in shape after they had played their last competitive match during the Cosafa Castle Cup in Botswana, about four weeks before.
Some of the players were so rusty because they were not involved in any matches due to the inactivity of the Namibia Premier League (NPL).
But despite that, with no friendly match for this decisive encounter, the Namibians decided to board the flight to Ethiopia, while the foreign-based international joined them later.
Match by match Briefs
DRC 3-2 Namibia
Namibia led 2-1 in this match, but DRC managed to score two quick goals in the last five minutes. Namibian goalie Athiel Mbaha could have averted the goals, but he allowed a header to be taken in the small box leading to the equaliser, while the winning goal was scored through a corner kick, which just fell behind him into the net. * Sidney Plaatjies scored both goals.
Nam 1-0 Ethiopia
Namibia had the home advantage and were very confident on a win. The coach was happy with the presence of all the foreign-based internationals. The crowd was fantastic as Namibia played at its favourite venues, the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
* Quinton Jacobs scored through a penalty in the 18th minute.
Libya 2-1 Namibia
Although players complained about the food, people in that country were also not friendly.Players said their bus was thrown with stones after the match and this was really frightening. It was a good match for Namibia, lot of opportunities, but they just failed to score
* Collin Benjamin scored through a free-kick.
Namibia 1-0 Libya
Once again, home ground advantage was the factor that motivated the team. The player that stood out on the day was Meraai Swartbooi who played his heart out on his debut. The coach and technical staff were really happy about this result and it also restored a sense of confidence in the team.
* Collin Benjamin scored for Namibia in the fourth minute through a well taken low-flying shot shot.
Namibia 1-1 DRC
This game was tough. Namibia was on attack most of the time, but the opposition also brought the game back to them. Lua Lua led the visitors attack and they were dangerous with each attack. DRC scored in the first half (Zola,27m). The crowd was behind the Namibian team, but sometimes also booed them when the players gave wrong passes or shooting in vain. The equaliser came just before half-time.
* Michael Pienaar scored through a header in the 40th minute.
Ethiopia 2-3 Namibia
Namibia went all out for Ethiopia. The player who made things happen was Quinton Jacobs in midfield. He led by example and was committed to the cause. Libya was leading, but Rudolph Bester equalised twice, and the young Muna Katupose scored the winning goal.
Team profile
The Brave Warriors national team plays a brand that is only particular to Namibia. Whereas other countries rely on particular players as trump cards, the Namibian team is known as a team that wins and loses as a collective unit. The attacking style of Namibia is characterized by a slow build-up from the back, using wingers to penetrate the opposition defense while the central midfield is depended upon to ensure that the backline is not put under pressure. The team employs the hardman approach in the middle, depending on strength and speed in the frontline. Opposing teams have often likened Namibia’s attacking style like a swarm of bees pouncing on a target as all players lay siege to the opposition goal area and pile up the pressure in unison.
Defensively, Namibia has not been doing too well, rarely finishing a match without conceding one or two goals, whether it is home or away. The goalkeeping department is the team’s Achilles Heel, as there appears to be a deficiency in communication between the last man and the back-four. While the team is known as slow starters, they are renowned for warming up towards the final stages of the match, as was evidenced by their late surge against Ethiopia in the last 2008 AFCON qualifying match in Addis Ababa when they scored two late goals in quick succession to win 3-2 to win a ticket to Ghana 2008.
Impact of football in society
Soccer is a semi-religion in Namibia. Soccer is by far the most supported sport in the country, with more than two thirds of the 1.8 million population following local teams or teams from neighboring countries and Europe, particularly the English Premier League.
The game is played largely at an amateur level in the country but at least 12 Namibians have at various intervals been signed by professional clubs in Europe and South Africa.
The signing of these professional contracts have resulted in these players investing in business opportunities back home while the interest in soccer itself has also grown in leaps and bounds as many more players wish to be signed by foreign clubs.
Apart from its entertainment value, many small and medium entrepreneurs make a living directly from soccer by selling food and replica shirts at soccer venues and providing transport to clubs.
Soccer has also contributed a lot to the maintenance of discipline among youngsters, keeping them on the field and off the streets. The various youth leagues that have been started across the country recently have build-in messages on HIV/AIDS and responsible living which encourage the youth to be exemplary citizens of the country.
Media
The Namibian - private, English and Oshiwambo-language daily
Namibia Economist - daily
Die Republikein - Afrikaans daily
New Era - state-owned daily
Windhoek Observer - private, weekly
Allgemeine Zeitung - German-language daily published in Windhoek
Television
Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) - national state broadcaster
Desert TV - private station in Windhoek
Radio
Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) - state-run
Radio Kudu - private, music-based network
Radio Wave - private, music network
Radio Energy - private, music station
Radio 99 - private, music-based network
Katutura Community Radio (KCR) - WindhoekChannel 7 - private religious station in Windhoek
Press Agency
Namibia Press Agency (Nampa)