Brave Warriors pocket N$2m for showing up
By Michael Uugwanga
DESPITE the Brave Warriors failing to reach the knockout stage of the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN) currently taking place in Cameroon, they are assured to pocket $175 000, (roughly N$2,6 million) from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as compensation for participating in the tournament .
The money is expected to be split amongst the team and the entire technical staff, with each player expected to pocket in the region of N 000 to N 000.
The winner of this year’s sixth edition of CHAN will pocket a staggering $2,5 million around (N$37.5 million) in prize money, which represents a 67 percent increase from $750 000 awarded to winners of the previous editions.
The first runners-up will walk away with $700 000, (N$10 500 million) a 75 percent increase from $400 000, (N$6 million), while the semi-finalists will take home $400 000, an increase of up to 60 percent.
The increase in prize money comes months after CAF signed a sponsorship agreement with French oil giant, Total.
CHAN 2016 hosted in Rwanda, saw Amavubi (Rwanda), who reached the quarter-finals, pocket 5 000.
Had the Brave Warriors reached the knockout stage of the competition as they did at the 2018 edition in Morocco, they would pocket over N$4 million.
In 2018, the Brave Warriors had a successful debut campaign which saw them finishing joint top in their group.
At this year’s edition Namibia lost 3-0 to Guinea before surrendering to a 1-0 loss to Tanzania which was also the end of their campaign before their final group D match against Zambia last night.
The Brave Warriors arrived in Cameroon without playing a single friendly match unlike the other participating countries.
Namibia was making their second appearance at the continental show piece, a competition that is strictly for local-based players and for the second successive time the Brave Warriors managed to qualify to the tournament without a domestic league.
The 2018 edition saw Namibia qualifying without a league due to lack of sponsorship and this year, Namibia reached the finals without a domestic league due to infighting within the football circuit which resulted in the expulsion of the Namibia Premier League (NPL).
Coach Bobby Samaria is also the second local coach after Ricardo Mannetti to guide Namibia to the CHAN tournament.
The next mission for the Brave Warriors is to try and qualify to the 2022 AFCON tournament slated for Cameroon next year and a place to the 2022 FIFA World Cup that will be staged in Qatar.