Gladiators eager to stay united
Winning bonuses for team
At a media conference yesterday during which winning bonuses for the team were announced, Namibia's senior women's national team pleaded with the NFA to keep the current technical team in place for the sake of continuity.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
Windhoek
Brave Gladiators players believe they will only be able to do better in the future if the Namibia Football Association (NFA) doesn’t dismantle the current technical team led by coach Paulus Shipanga.
The team recently returned from their assignments, which included the Cosafa Women’s Championships and a friendly match against Botswana.
The players used a press conference that was held to announce their winning bonuses as an opportunity to declare their wishes. “We have seen many coaches come and go, and this has really disrupted our team.
“This is why we are pleading with the NFA secretary-general and Fifa Normalisation Committee to please keep this technical team together.
“This will only be good for us because we have learned so much from them and we have also formed a bond that we can’t afford to break,” Iggy Mashaba Kauzuu said on behalf of her teammates.
All is well
To the delight of the players, NFA acting secretary-general Jochen Traut concurred with the players’ wishes.
He, however, did not promise to give in to a long-term contract with the technical team but assured the players that their coaches would remain for the next assignment.
“I can’t promise a long-term contract, but I believe in not fixing something that is not broken.
“That is why, for now, I can only promise the players that the technical team will not be changed for the next assignment unless something else comes up,” Traut said.
Windfall for players
The NFA also announced that Namibia’s mining company, Debmarine Namibia, has agreed to pay the players’ undisclosed winning bonuses. The bonuses are a reward for the matches the team won at the Cosafa Women’s Championships last month.
“I would like to thank Debmarine Namibia for coming on board and providing the players with these bonuses. It is not much, but probably double what they were getting in the past,” Traut noted.
The Gladiators managed to win two matches at the Cosafa tournament that saw them reach the semi-finals. It is for these matches that Debmarine Namibia will provide the winning bonuses.
The team could have gotten more had they beaten Botswana over the weekend.
Changes are noted
The players thanked the diamond mining company for its consideration and generosity.
“We want to thank Debmarine Namibia for the sponsorship, as well as the NFA and Fifa Normalisation Committee for their efforts.
“We believe that the Fifa Normalisation Committee has been doing a great job and it’s evident by the way we are being treated.
“We are seeing this every day that things have really changed, and we can only be grateful for that as players,” Kauzuu added.
The Namibian team were offered days off to rest until a new assignment emerges. The NFA’s acting secretary-general assured the players that they would do their best to make sure that the players get games as soon as possible.
Windhoek
Brave Gladiators players believe they will only be able to do better in the future if the Namibia Football Association (NFA) doesn’t dismantle the current technical team led by coach Paulus Shipanga.
The team recently returned from their assignments, which included the Cosafa Women’s Championships and a friendly match against Botswana.
The players used a press conference that was held to announce their winning bonuses as an opportunity to declare their wishes. “We have seen many coaches come and go, and this has really disrupted our team.
“This is why we are pleading with the NFA secretary-general and Fifa Normalisation Committee to please keep this technical team together.
“This will only be good for us because we have learned so much from them and we have also formed a bond that we can’t afford to break,” Iggy Mashaba Kauzuu said on behalf of her teammates.
All is well
To the delight of the players, NFA acting secretary-general Jochen Traut concurred with the players’ wishes.
He, however, did not promise to give in to a long-term contract with the technical team but assured the players that their coaches would remain for the next assignment.
“I can’t promise a long-term contract, but I believe in not fixing something that is not broken.
“That is why, for now, I can only promise the players that the technical team will not be changed for the next assignment unless something else comes up,” Traut said.
Windfall for players
The NFA also announced that Namibia’s mining company, Debmarine Namibia, has agreed to pay the players’ undisclosed winning bonuses. The bonuses are a reward for the matches the team won at the Cosafa Women’s Championships last month.
“I would like to thank Debmarine Namibia for coming on board and providing the players with these bonuses. It is not much, but probably double what they were getting in the past,” Traut noted.
The Gladiators managed to win two matches at the Cosafa tournament that saw them reach the semi-finals. It is for these matches that Debmarine Namibia will provide the winning bonuses.
The team could have gotten more had they beaten Botswana over the weekend.
Changes are noted
The players thanked the diamond mining company for its consideration and generosity.
“We want to thank Debmarine Namibia for the sponsorship, as well as the NFA and Fifa Normalisation Committee for their efforts.
“We believe that the Fifa Normalisation Committee has been doing a great job and it’s evident by the way we are being treated.
“We are seeing this every day that things have really changed, and we can only be grateful for that as players,” Kauzuu added.
The Namibian team were offered days off to rest until a new assignment emerges. The NFA’s acting secretary-general assured the players that they would do their best to make sure that the players get games as soon as possible.
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