Tafel Lager Brave Warriors ready to slay Tunisia in ‘David versus Goliath’ battle
By Adolf Kaure.
The Namibian national soccer team takes on Tunisia in Group E of the tournament on Tuesday at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast.
Affectionately known as the “Tafel Lager Brave Warriors”, the team’s head coach, Collin Benjamin said that his team is ready for the assignment that awaits.
“We are hungry, but we also humble. We are prepared so let us go onto the pitch and do what we need to do,” said Benjamin in a press briefing adding that his team has aspirations of causing a few upsets and progressing in the competition.
“We have a dream, and that dream is to upset one or two of the favourites in the group. It is not going to be easy but we are going to do our best,” he said.
Known as the “Carthage Eagles”, Tunisia is ranked 28th in the current Coca Cola FIFA World Rankings and have won the AFCON once in 2004. Having defeated 2022 FIFA World Cup finalists, France 1-0 during the group stages of that competition, Tunisia are not fazed by any footballing duel.
Namibia is ranked 115th on the same rankings and hopes to get their first ever victory at an AFCON competition in the “David versus Goliath” clash. The team’s vice-captain, Ananias Gebhardt said that the team is determined and set on the task at hand.
“The vibe in the camp is good. We are in good spirits and hungry. We don’t want to concentrate too much on the underdog tag, but we will concentrate on what we can do,” said Gebhardt.
The President of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), Robert Shimooshili has pledged his support behind the team together with the entire nation. Shimooshili is part of a contingent of officials who have travelled with the national team.
“You made the country proud by qualifying. My words to you is that we are behind you,” said Shimooshili.
The Tafel Lager Brave Warriors has only lost one (2-0 against Equatorial Guinea) out of their last five games which includes a 2-0 victory over São Tomé and Príncipe, and three goalless stalemates (against Ghana, South Africa and Botswana).
The rest of the teams that make up Group E are 1996 AFCON champions, South Africa (ranked 66) and Mali (ranked 51).
The action between Namibia and Tunisia kicks off at 19:00 Namibian time.
The Tafel Lager Brave Warriors going through their drills during a recent training session in the Ivory Coast. (Photograph courtesy of the NFA)
