NAMIBIA COACH MANNETTI WORRIED ABOUT INACTIVE STARS

MBABANE – Namibia national team coach Ricardo Mannetti is worried about Brave Warriors’ regulars who continue to see little or no action at club level.

Mannetti said this has forced him to announce a new team that will face Sihlangu next Wednesday at Sam Nujoma Stadium, starting at 7pm. The team to face the Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga-led side includes seven players plying their trade in the Absa Premiership in South Africa.

Playmaker Petrus Shitembi, who is in the books of South Africa’s Absa Premiership League side AmaZulu, and Free State Stars’ recent acquisition Hendrik Somaeb have not featured in any of the Premiership matches so far this season, while midfielder Heinrich Isaacks has been on the fringes of the Bloemfontein Celtic first team.

According to allafrica.com, the misfortunes of forwards Sadney Urikhob and Pinehas Jakob, who recently had their contracts with AmaZulu terminated, having barely broke sweat for the club during the past two seasons, and Mannetti’s options became more limited. Urikhob and Jakob have both since returned to the Namibia Premier League with Civics and Black Africa respectively.

“I’m very worried. If these players are not playing at their clubs then it’s not good for the national team,”
Mannetti told reporters at a media briefing at Namibia Football House yesterday. “I’m in constant contact with their clubs, so as soon as their clubs inform me that they are using them, then I can look at considering them. At the moment it is very difficult for a player like Shitembi to make the national team. How do I justify the selection of a player who does not play at club level?” he wondered.

Mannetti drafted 13 uncapped players from the youth side into the 23-man squad preparing for the friendly against Sihlangu.
“This particular friendly is very difficult in terms of the process of calling up players. We are in a difficult situation at the moment as the local league is yet to kick-off, so we have a mixed squad of Under-23 players who went to Ghana and played about five games with foreign-based players.

I’ve opted to take these ones in terms of fitness, so we only have to be concerned with working on tactics,” Mannetti said.
The team will be heavily reliant on the experience of captain Ronald Ketjijere, defender Willem Mwedihanga, midfielder Lazarus Kaimbi, veteran forwards Henrico Botes and Rudolf Bester.

Bester is enjoying a new lease on life after joining former Brave Warriors coach Tom Saintfiet at Free State Stars.
Returning utility-man Deon Hotto and centre-back Chris Katjiukua are also expected to feature prominently against the Swazis after missing the past couple of internationals due to injury and illness.
Defensive stalwart Da Costa Angula, who is enjoying a great start to his Free State Stars career, is unavailable due to injury.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: