Brave Warriors gets incentive for AFCON qualification

By: John Tuerijama
THE empty pockets of the country’s Brave Warriors players will temporarily be something of the past after Namibia Diamonds (PTY) LTD injected aside a cool N$ 800 000 to remunerate the senior team footballers during the 2019 AFCON qualification face.
The players already received N$ 20 000 each for their victory against Mozambique in their away and home ties which brought their points in Group K to seven points respectively.
Namdia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kennedy Hamutenya during the media announcement revealed that players will receive N$ 10 000 if they beat Guinea in their home match scheduled at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on 17 November.
He added that N$ 5 000 will be paid should the Brave Warriors managed a draw against the visitors. And with Namibia pencilled to play their final match against Zambia in March next year, the players can secure N$ 20 000 if they beat both Guinea and Zambia respectively.
The N$ 800 000 sponsorship, exclude Brave Warriors’ technical team because of the change in the rules and laws of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), to trim down the number of participating teams in the qualification to 18 instead of the he normal 23.
Hamutenya said during the announcement held at the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Soccer House that that they are open for further negotiations ones the team qualify for the continental showdown scheduled for Cameroon later next year.
“Our national football players have huge shoes to fill and done so by winning the 2016 Confederation of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA),” he said.
He added that the national football team impressed over two million citizens with their performances. Brave Warriors head coach Ricardo Mannetti who engineered the sponsorship deal with Namdia (PTY) LTD, alerted the diamond company on the suffering endured by players when travelling for away international matches.
Players are said to have difficulties in taking care of their loved ones because of poor incentives. Mannetti thanked Namdia PTY for their generous sponsor taking into account the current climate football finds itself.
Hamutenya said the decision taken has the full blessing of the company’s Board and Management and that their social and educational responsibility towards society is designed to reach the poorest of communities which caters for education, sport and health.