Youth gear up for Zone Six Games

The national under-20s football teams is hard at work as they prepare for the year-ending regional sports games, the Zone Six Games which will be held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe from 4-15 December.
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) as custodians of football are preparing the ladies and men teams for the games and on Thursday morning only a few of the men’s team were in training at the NFA Technical Centre under the watchful eyes of Coach Turipamue Upi.
The technical team has called up 20 players but on Thursday only 10 have turned up while others will join later this month due to examinations and other education commitments.
Coach Upi said, “We would love to have all the players here and prepare thoroughly with all of them but we have the responsibility to ensure that our footballers takes education seriously and we understand what they are up to. Education comes first and if you have an educated footballer, he or she always has options in life as we know life after football is not easy.”“We have to do with those that are here. Sometimes you have a bigger group in the afternoons and that is good but yes time will tell how we can prepare and have a well-prepared team. As coaches, we will do our best to find the right combinations and ensure the players are ready to compete,” Upi added.

The team is a mixture of under players who represented Namibia at the Four Nations Tournament in Swakopmund during the Easter break this year, while others emerged from the Skorpion Zinc Cup played in August. Due to join team by next week are star striker Jandjamuje Maharero and midfielder Hiha Katjivena,  as well another student at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, Bofatius Paulino, who plays for TUKS FC.
Belgium based Matheus Hamutenya is due to only join the team by December 04 and the technical team are due to make a final decision on him, while Mesutuje Ngunovandu is ruled out with an ankle injury he sustained last week at training.
Manchester United McGyver, Pandeni Kandjambanga, Paulus Abel, Brendon Kotungondo and Giovanni Nauseb were among the ten players at the Thursday morning session.
The full list of the 20 called up players: Donovan Gainub (Tura Magic), Abel Paulus, Mesutuje Ngunovandu and Giovanni Nauseb ( all Otjiwarongo FC), Jandjamuje Maharero, Hiha Katjivena, Venovineja Tjikundi, Johannes Kwedhi, Jürgen van der Byl, Leonard Tuhafeni (all Ramblers Academy), Katiti Hakuria (Rebels FC), Collins Amukwaya, Pandeni Kandjambanga, Manchester United McGyver, Brendon Kotungondo (all NSSU), Yuani Beukes (Pro-kids FC), George Hummel (SKW), Matheus Hamutenya (Belgium), Bofatius Paulino (TUKS FC, SA) and Baloyi Tsandib (Benfica FC).