Experts back Samaria

Football experts have welcomed new interim Brave Warriors coach Bobby Samaria, saying he deserves a fair chance. Many believe that the African Stars mentor is the right man to lead the national team into the 2020 African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifiers. Samaria, who will be assisted by Woody Jacobs, will see his locally based squad taking on the Comoros over two legs in the qualifiers at the end of this month. Football expert and sport fanatic Isack Hamata believes that Samaria will be able to do the job given what he has achieved during his club career. “Bobby is the most decorated coach locally. His interim appointment is well deserved.“In terms of it becoming a permanent appointment, we will have to give the authorities time to conclude the recruitment process for a substantive national coach,” Hamata said. Hamata felt that the coach will need the nation's support given the difficult task ahead of him. “We should all rally behind Bobby and give him the necessary support.“We have a tendency of campaigning for people to be appointed and then we are the same people who campaign for their downfall,” Hamata noted. Former Orlando Pirates player and a legend in Namibian football Mabos Vries also felt that Samaria's appointment was the correct one. “I do not have much to say about his appointment but the CV he has speaks volumes to that.“He has achieved what could be achieved in local football and I believe he deserves a chance to prove what he can do,” Vries said.The former football legend added that he will only be able to judge Samaria based on the results.“As a guy from the south, I would like to see attacking and entertaining football from the team.“I will however only base my judgement about his appointment on the results,” Vries reiterated. The team yesterday began with their preparations for the Comoros clash and will be expected to continue camping until the actual match. Namibia begins their quest to qualify away to Comoro Islands on 26 July before their return leg on 2 August in Windhoek.In 2017, Brave Warriors forward Muna Katupose booked a place for the team in the 2018 Chan tournament after scoring a brace against Comoros with Ricardo Mannetti at the helm. In 2018 at the Chan finals in Morocco, Namibia lost 2-0 to Morocco in the quarterfinals after winning two matches and drawing one in the group stage. It was a performance lauded by many as the country advanced to their first-ever quarterfinals in the competition's history. This year, it will however be a different looking side with a different coach. Local football lover Terry Kandjii said he was excited about the new coach but had hoped for Ricardo Mannetti to continue.“It is always exciting when a new person comes in because we always expect positive change.“I have been a fan of Bobby for a long time and I am sure he is capable of doing a great job.“I just also hope that we will not regret losing Mannetti because he has done an amazing job and he could have remained there for the sake of continuity,” Kandjii said. The Chan training squad is as follows: Larry Horaeb, Charles Hambira and Junias Theophilus (Tura Magic), Aprocious Petrus (Eleven Arrows), Kennedy Eib (Touch & Go), Mata Mbemutjiua (Young African), Jonas Mathias ( Citizens), Edmund Kambanda and Charles Uirab (Unam), Ratanda Mbazuvara, Treasure Kauapirura, Ivan Kamberipa, Obrey Amseb, Marcel Papama and Gustav Isaak (African Stars), Immanuel Heita, Dynamo Fredericks, Wesley Katjiteo, Vitapi Ngaruka, Emilio Martin, McCartney Naweseb and Wendell Rudath (Black Africa), Mapenzi Muwanei, Llewelyn Stanley and Absalom Iimbondi (Tigers), Isaskar Gurirab (Life Fighters), Elmo Kambindu, Olsen Ameb and Bernard Horaseb (Mighty Gunners), Panduleni Nekundi (unattached) and Revered Matroos (Young Brazilians).Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

Experts back Samaria

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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Experts back Samaria

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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