Govt avails N$12M for Brave Warriors AFCON dance

By Michael Uugwanga

Through the sports ministry, the government has committed N$12.2 million towards the Brave Warriors’ participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will begin on January 13 in Ivory Coast.

The Brave Warriors qualified for the continental showpiece after finishing second behind group winners Cameroon in Group C, including Burundi.

The Brave Warriors will compete in the AFCON showpiece for the fourth time, having previously competed in the 1998 tournament in Burkina Faso, their debut appearance, and then again in 2008 in Ghana and 2019.

The Brave Warriors are in Group C together with powerhouses such as Tunisia, Mali, and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, a team they will face for the third time at AFCON, with their first meeting dating back to 1998, when Namibia was heavily defeated 4-1, and a 1-0 loss in Egypt. Namibia is yet to win an AFCON match.

In a media release, the Namibia Football Association (NFA) thanked the government for its financial assistance to the team without disclosing the amount. However, Sports Ministry Executive Director Erastus Haitengela told this publication that the government had availed N$ 7.

2 million to NFA, with another N million still to come.