Namibia vice-captain has sent a strong message to Bafana Bafana ahead of their encounter at the 34th edition of the AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast.
The two neighbouring nations have been drawn in Group E of the CAF continental showpiece, which begins on Saturday, 13 January.
Bafana and Namibia have met twice before in the group stages of the AFCON tournament. In 1998, Bafana Bafana were 4-1 victorious, with Benni McCarthy scoring all four goals in Burkina Faso. Namibia also suffered a 1-0 defeat during the 2019 edition in Egypt.
The Brave Warriors squad boasts the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns marksman Peter Shalulile and Orlando Pirates winger Deon Hotto, amongst others.
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With nine players plying their trade in South Africa, Ananias Gebhardt insists Bafana Bafana should expect a brave fight when the two nations clash.
Gebhardt says they will give it their all in the group. “The ball is round. It is an advantage; yes, we know them, and they also know us. So when we go there the team that comes ready on the day,” he said.
“Trust me, Namibia will be brave Warriors on the pitch, and we will give it our all. It’s the third time we are in the same group, In 2019 we were in the same group with them. So it doesn’t really make any difference.
“For us is to go there and give it our all. Try to make our nation proud, and by God’s grace, everything shall be done well on the pitch,” he said.
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The 35-year-old believes the current generation of players is also capable of bringing success to the nation.
“We are going there to compete. I won’t lie to you; we have a very good group of players and have been doing well. If you just check our generation of players, we won the first cup which is the COSAFA Cup in 2015. We got the plate in 2016; we qualified for two Afcon tournaments [2019 and 2023].
“So, honestly speaking, these guys have been doing wonders for the nation, and we can only continue praising them. All my compatriots playing for other clubs are doing great. The Namibian fall is raised and flying very high.”
The Namibians will open their Group E campaign against Tunisia on Tuesday, 16 January.
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