Muinjo looks forward to CAF Women’s Champs

Namibia Football Association (NFA) president John Muinjo is hoping for more scouts and general high organisation of the 2014 CAF Women's Championship to be hosted by Namibia. As such he believes his presence at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates will come in handy. Muinjo, who is part of the organising committee for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, is in the UAE where he is overseeing the smooth organisation and conclusion of the youth competition. “The organisation and facilities are of a very high standard apart from the attendances that have been in general poor due to many factors. There have been a lot of scouts from many clubs from all over the world, which is a trend during these competitions,” says Muinjo. He adds that his involvement in the organisation of world football “will definitely add value to the operations back home when we host the 2014 women’s championship even if I will not be part of the local organising committee (LOC).” Muinjo said the 2014 CAF Women's Championships LOC will be chaired by the Namibia Sports Commission’s Shivute Katamba, with Jackey Gertze as the deputy chairperson. Reflecting on the youth tournament so far, Muinjo said the highlight is that Sweden, like Switzerland in Nigeria in 2009 and the Netherlands and Turkey in 2005, became one of the European sides making their debut at the World Cup to make it to semi-finals. “Interestingly a total of 21 penalties were converted in Mexico's 11-10 shootout triumph over Brazil, setting a new record for a FIFA competition”, says Muinjo. Ivory Coast lost 2-1 to Argentina in the last eight while Nigeria went to the last eight for the ninth time in ten participations, having failed to make the quarterfinals only once in 2003, and now will face Sweden in the semi-finals after seeing off Uruguay in the quarterfinals. WINDHOEK NFA.ORG.NA