Stefanus Nashama
Former Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament, Johannes Martin says President Nangolo Mbumba should be ashamed of praising the performance of the Brave Warriors in the final of the Cosafa Cup 2024.
He said this during an interview with the Windhoek Observer over the weekend, concerning the underdeveloped sports facilities.
“I am shocked to see the President praising the Brave Warriors for making it to the final. Yes, it is something worthy of praise, but if I were him, I would be even more ashamed to speak about the performance of the boys when, looking back home, where they are coming from, they are playing in substandard stadiums,” said Martin.
Mbumba praised the performance of the Brave Warriors for ascending to the final match with Angola on the president’s social media platforms.
“I have been following with keen interest the remarkable progress of the Brave Warriors during the #CosafaCup2024. By reaching the final, the Brave Warriors have made us all proud. It will be a tough final against Angola tomorrow. But I am confident that our formidable coach, Colin Benjamin, and his exceptional players will put in a stellar performance. I wish the Brave Warriors the best of luck. Let us all rally behind our team, the Brave Warriors,” Mbumba stated.
Martin said the president and government officials should be ashamed because they failed to understand the country’s sports needs.
He also accused them of not caring about the processes involved in developing sports facilities to be able to host international matches.
“They do not care about the time the tender or procurement process will take to complete the process of building or renovating sports facilities, simply because the government pays their salaries. They should rather encounter the issues of having substandard stadiums than moral supports,” he said.
Martin further blamed the minister and deputy minister of sports, youth, and national services, stating that they were too relaxed to push for the development of sport in the country.
In 2020, Martin questioned the issue of underdeveloped stadiums in parliament, which he said has not materialised up to now.
Martin believes the country’s sports are improving, but the facilities are underdeveloped.
“There is no support from our people. We want fit stadiums to accommodate international matches, but not only messages of support. I guess these guys should be even ashamed of talking about sports,”’ he said.
Martin has been outspoken about the underdevelopment of sports in the country.
Despite feeling upbeat about reaching the final of the Cosafa Cup, Namibia was humiliated 5-0 by Angola on Sunday.
The minister of sports, youth and national services, Agnes Tjongarero, expressed excitement about the performance.
“I am very happy with the performance of the Brave Warriors,” she said.
The Brave Warriors assistant coach, Ronnie Kanalelo, resigned from his role after the match.
Kanalelo announced his resignation on his Facebook page over the weekend.
“As I bow out for the last time with the Brave Warriors, I want to thank you for the support over the last two years. Your appreciation is well-noticed by family and friends. My friend, brother, and trainer of Collin Benjamin, it was really an honour to serve as your assistant. You called, and I had no other options, but I said yes, I will run the race with you,” he said.
He urged Benjamin to keep up the good work and not take his foot off the paddle.
A close source to Kanalelo said the man resigned after the Brave Warriors lost the match to Angola.
The source also claimed that Kanalelo and Benjamin disagreed on the team’s affairs.
In 2019, Kanalelo quit the same position after the African Cup of Nations, when he was the assistant coach to Ricardo Mannetti.
The Brave Warriors met with the vice president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, on Tuesday evening at the old State House.
