Namibiaâ??s Brave Warriors face Egypt in a friendly match in Aswan on Saturday, January 5, starting at 18h30 Namibian time.
The match will serve as final preparation for new coach Arie Schans before Namibiaâ??s final squad for the African Cup of Nations finals in Ghana is announced. After the Egypt friendly Namibia will leave for Dakar on Monday, to take on Senegal in another friendly match in Dakar on January 12.
The final Namibian squad is expected to be announced before the Senegal encounter.
Baptism of fire for Schans
It will be a baptism of fire for the Dutch coach who only met up with the Brave Warriors for the first time during their training camp in southern Germany from December 12 to 24.
Although Schans didnâ??t have much time to assess the team, he was impressed with the talent on display.
â??The training camp in Germany was a very interesting and positive experience for me. I see quite some potential in the Namibian team and I feel the training camp improved the teamwork within the team,â? he told Namibia Sport.
Schans however added that the unavailability of the full Namibian squad hampered their preparations.
â??Not all the players were present. This makes it difficult of course to have a complete picture of the team and to make a selection for Ghana. Hopefully, in January I'll be able to train with all the players together,â? he told Namibia Sport on December 25.
Benjamin unavailable
Schansâ?? wishes have however not come true since he only joined up with the team in Egypt while Namibiaâ??s veteran midfielder Collin Benjamin had to miss the trip after his club Hamburg SV refused to release him.
According to The Namibian, Benjamin had to stay in Hamburg to undergo fitness tests with his club.
The rest of the Namibian squad trained in Windhoek with assistant coaches Ronnie Kanalelo and Brian Isaacks but their training was suspended last Friday following news of Bamfuchileâ??s death.
According to Nampa, the players suspended their morning training session to pay respect to Bamfuchile, but resumed training in the afternoon. Nampa added that the players will observe a momentâ??s silence and wear black armbands during both friendly matches as a sign of respect for Bamfuchile.
Bamfuchile funeral
Meanwhile, the NFAâ??s acting secretary general Barry Rukoro told Namibia Sport that he was honoured to represent Namibia at Bamfuchileâ??s funeral in Nkana East in Zambia.
â??The funeral was attended by more than 5 000 people. It started at 09h00 and continued till after 16h00. I was given an opportunity to talk in the church and I told them what Ben had done for Namibia. I told them that he was loved by the Namibian people and appreciated for what he had achieved with the Brave Warriors,â? he said.
Namibian squad
The Namibian team includes most of Namibiaâ??s foreign based players, excluding Benjamin, while veteran midfielder and former captain Robert Nauseb also makes a return for the first time since June 2007.
Defenders Chris Katjiukua, Donnelly Nel and Ivan Namaseb and striker Tangeni Shipahu have been dropped from an original list of 30 players that was named for the match.
A late inclusion has been Jomo Cosmos striker Lazarus Kaimbi who was in great form for Namibia at the Cosafa U21 competition in Nelspruit, South Africa in December. Kaimbi scored seven goals to help Namibia reach the semifinals before they lost 2-1 to eventual champions Zimbabwe.
The Namibian squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers:
Athiel Mbaha (Orlando Pirates), Abisai Shiningayamwe (Jomo Cosmos), Ephraim Tjihonge (Black Leopards).
Defenders:
Michael Pienaar (Ramblers), Franklin April (Civics), Gottlieb Nakuta (Blue Waters), Richard Gariseb (Bidvest Wits), Hartmann Toromba (Black Leopards), Jeremia Baisako (Ramblers), Maleagi Ngarizemo (FC Cape Town).
Midfielders:
Quinton Jacobs (Bryne FC), Brian Brendell (Civics), Tulongeni Tuyeni (Civics), Abraham Shatimuene (Premeiro De Agosto), Jamunovandu Ngatjizeko (Civics), Oliver Risser (SC Bonner), Robert Nauseb (Santos), Sydney Plaatjies (Jomo Cosmos), Freedom Puriza (FC AK), Wycliff Kambonde (Jomo Cosmos).
Strikers:
Muna Katupose (Oshakati City), Levis â??Meraaiâ?? Swartbooi (Premeiro De Agosto), Rudolph Bester (Eleven Arrows), Pineas Jacob (Ramblers), Lazarus Kaimbi (Jomo Cosmos).