Namibia/South Africa: Gladiators Take On Botswana, South Africa

David Adetona

18 March 2011

The Brave Gladiators, the national women’s football team, will play against South Africa this Saturday, in an international friendly match at the Galeshewe Stadium in Kimberley, South Africa.

Soon after, the Brave Gladiators will also play an international friendly against Botswana on 26 March at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.

The team will be using these matches as preparation for the second round, first leg of their 2012 Olympic qualifying campaign which starts against, African champions, Nigeria in the weekend of 1 to 3 April, in the West African nation. The second leg will be played two weeks later in Windhoek. Namibia qualified for the second round of the Olympic qualifiers after they drew 2-2 against Angola in their away match and then drew 0-0 in Windhoek in January this year. Jacqui Shipanga, the national women’s soccer team coach, says there was a change in the Gladiator’s programme, after South Africa came through recently with a request to play an international friendly game. It was agreed that Namibia will play South Africa’s team as well as face Botswana.

“We initially had Botswana lined up for an international friendly match but South Africa came into the picture and it was a great chance as it meant two good games for us,” Shipanga explained. She believes that the two matches will present her charges with tough opposition.

She pointed out that South Africa has always been the country’s rivals in the region and Botswana, has improved so much that they are not push-overs anymore, and the international friendly match between the two teams will be challenging for the Gladiators as well.

The full Brave Gladiators squad currently in camp includes goalkeepers: Sussana Eises, Merriam Swartbooi, Novata Paulus and Rejoice Tjiterua and defenders Stacey Naris, Albertha Dawes, Stefany Hummel, Queen Manga, Mariana Gaebutsi, Vewe Kotjipati, Rejoice Kasaona, and Mangulukeni Hamata. The mildfielders are Stefanie Cloete, Marele Polster, Zenatha Coleman, Tomalina Adams, Magrieta Vries, Lovisa Mulunga, Ndapewa Lina Ituta and Yvonne Skrywer, while the strikers include Juliana Skrywer, Emmerencia Fredericks, Toshi Haufiku and Salome Iiyambo.

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