Benjamin: Preparations will be key for Afcon
Brave Warriors head coach Collin Benjamin says preparations for the back-to-back 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Cameroon have begun.
Speaking to Nampa, Benjamin said they are busy engaging neighbouring football associations to see where they can play their home matches.
“Our two matches against Cameroon will be played between 16 and 24 March 2023. Because of the current ban on Namibian
stadiums, we are engaging our neighbours to see where we can play, with the economic ramifications being the top focus. These qualifiers are very important for Namibia,” he said.
Namibia is looking at playing in South Africa, Zambia or Botswana.
Benjamin said he does not want his team to go to Burundi
with their backs against the wall (needing to win) hence they are taking the two Cameroon games seriously with the hope of ‘stealing’ points from the Indomitable Lions.
“We have to prepare well, we have to be fit, physically and mentally. All the logistical preparations have to be on point so that the boys are focused on the matches which are four days apart. When we play our home match away from home, we have to make conditions as tough as possible for Cameroon. Independence Stadium would have worked well in terms of the supporters, weather, and altitude,” he added.
The former Hamburger SV and 1860 Munich midfielder said he was happy that Namibia has three leagues active concurrently (Debmarine Namibia Premiership, and the First and Second Divisions), which means the fitness levels of the local players will be improved from the previous times.
“The backbone of the team is playing outside Namibia and all of them are active regularly. They will bring the much-needed stability experience because Cameroon will ask a lot from us,” he emphasised.
Benjamin called on the local players to do more than what their club coaches are asking them to do in terms of their physical fitness because of the lack of game time over the past four years.
He said his team will need a minimum of three points in their last three matches to ensure qualification for the 2023 Afcon finals scheduled for Ivory Coast from 7 January to 4 February 2024.
The coach also said he will soon be visiting some of the clubs hosting Namibia’s foreignbased players to assess their performances.
Namibia was drawn along with Cameroon and Burundi in Group C, with the top two teams due to qualify for the finals.
Namibia currently sits second in the group with one point behind Cameroon, who has three points from one game.
Burundi has one point from two matches.
Kenya was part of Group C but was disqualified from the qualifiers due to the suspension of its national football federation.