Mutanga, Matias relish Chan opportunity
Youngsters Johannes Mutanga and Jonas Matias, who both recently received their first national team call ups to join the Brave Warriors in Cameroon for the ongoing African Nations Championship (Chan) finals, are relishing the opportunity and can’t wait to leave their footprints at the biennial tournament.
Namibia’s Brave Warriors will tomorrow kick off their Chan campaign with a tie against Guinea at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium in Cameroon and the two young bloods are waiting with bated breathes for an opportunity to strut their stuff at Africa’s second-biggest football competition – that’s if head coach Bobby Samaria accords them an opportunity.
Mutanga, who plays for Namibia’s coastal giants Eleven Arrows, said hard work and dedication paid off when he was announced as part of Namibia’s final squad for Chan, saying competition was tough during the training camp and making the final cut speaks volume of what lies ahead for him and the team.
“The competition in the team was tough; some guys did not make it but I am happy I did. I hope to get an opportunity to give my all and represent my country,” a confident Mutanga told the Namibia Football Association (NFA) media desk from their Cameroon base.
Fellow greenhorn Matias, who plies his trade for Windhoek outfit Citizens FC, said he was not entirely new to the national team setup as he has represented the country’s U/20’s before, but maintained that playing at the Chan tournament is a whole new experience.
“I am not new to the national set up because I played for the U/20, but it’s different now. There are a lot of great players here so you must always work hard. I really want to thank the technical team for the opportunity and hope to get a chance to show what I can do,” Matias said.
Namibia is in Group D alongside Guinea, Zambia and Tanzania. Their first group match will be against Guinea tomorrow in Limbe.