Football: African Nations Championship (Chan)-Brave Warriors here, expect tough match against Pirates |11 March 2010
“Interesting article,” he said.
Asked what he knows about the Seychelles team, coach Saintfiet replied: “To be honest, not so much.”
“What I know is that Seychelles is a beautiful holiday destination and my first impression is that it’s a fantastic place.
“On football terms, I learned that Dutch coach Jan Mak worked here as well as Swede Richard Holmlünd, who tried to develop the team. In the last Cosafa under-20 competition in December in South Africa, Seychelles beat Namibia 4-2. Therefore, we cannot underestimate the Seychelles team,” coach Saintfiet told Sports Nation.
No easy match
He added that it would be a big mistake if his Brave Warriors took things lightly in Saturday’s first leg game against Seychelles’ Pirates in the southern zone qualifiers of the African Nations Championship.
“I understand Seychelles play good organised defensive football, similar to us, and rely on counter-attacks.
“We need at least a draw and we are here with the intention to take the first step towards qualifying for the second round,” he continued.
Coach Saintfiet added that there’s no easy game in football any more.
“I hope my players understand that Saturday’s game won’t be easy. It will be a very difficult task. In our last friendly encounter against South Africa, they underestimated us and they paid the consequences in a 1-1 draw.
“It’s true that Namibia are ranked higher than Seychelles in the Fifa ranking but with only home-based players involved in the competition, I believe Seychelles, who don’t have many players playing abroad, will field their first team,” added the young Belgian tactician, who worked in his homeland, Qatar, the Netherlands, Germany, Faroe Islands and Ivory Coast before taking over as Namibia coach.
Without some key players who ply their trade in South Africa, Angola and Europe, the Brave Warriors arrived yesterday morning after a round-about trip via Johannesburg (South Africa) and Dubai.
Coach Saintfiet said the team were to do some light training last night followed by two sessions today and one tomorrow.
A win apiece and a draw
So far, Seychelles’ Pirates have crossed swords with Namibia’s Brave Warriors three times 
Defender George Hummel is the only Brave Warrior to have played in all three matches – a 1-1 draw at Stad Linite and a 3-0 win in Windhoek, Namibia in 2000 (in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers) and a 2-4 loss in a penalty shootout (1-1 after normal time) during the 2006 Cosafa Cup in Namibia.
A former defender with Moroka Swallows in South Africa before moving back home to play for Eleven Arrows, Hummel said: “We have come here to get a good result, whether it’s a draw or a win. We have a good team and we will be going for a win.”
The experienced defender added that although Seychelles have some good individual young players, he doesn’t see Namibia, who expect a tough match, losing on Saturday.
“In football it is never good to underestimate your opponent. You have to respect them. We are also a small up-and-coming country like Seychelles and we will treat their team with all respect, but we will win,” said the 33-year-old.
The Brave Warriors squad: Athiel Mbaha, Virgil Vries (goalkeepers), Steven Goagab, Ralph Ellinger, Gottlieb Nakuta, George Hummel, Richard Gariseb, Nelson Geingob (defenders), Ninja Karongee, Rudy Louw, Martin Kambungu, Ronald Ketjijere, Eslin Kamuhanga, Heini Isaacks, Edward Asino (midfielders), Jerome Louis, Tangeni Shipahu and Eusebio Fredericks (strikers).
G. G.