Nambian coach Ricardo Mannetti delights in Cote d’Ivoire win

by Phumzile Ngcatshe

Monday Jan 15, 2018. 14:30

Namibia national team coach Ricardo Mannetti believes their 1-0 win over Cote d’Ivoire will boost his men going to their second match at the African Nations Championship.

On Thursday, the Brave Warriors will renew their rivalry against a wounded Uganda in their second CHAN 2018, Group B match.

A goal through Charles Hambira gave the Southern West Africans a deserved victory on Sunday and the coach calls it a sentimental victory.

“Very sentimental victory for us today against Ivory Coast because in 1998 we lost our opening game of AFCON and I was a player then and now being the coach have lead the team to victory,” said Mannetti.

“The win means a lot for Namibians, it gives them hope and also shocks them as we have been over the years not tactically organized and now maybe we can finally do it.

“The expectations keep rising for this team going forward.

“We still want to get out of the group and reach the quarter-finals. We now relax a bit and then get back to hard work and plan for Uganda.”

On the other hand, the former midfielder dedicated the victory to the late Zambian coach Ben Bamfuchile who guided the Brave Warriors to their second African Nations Cup appearance in 2008.

“Ben helped us a lot and ensured that we believe in ourselves to compete again after the last time we played in Africa in 1998 and so ten years later we are here again, continental football. So we remember him,” adds Mannetti.