Defeated Under-20women's side keen to fight on

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Correspondent | Wednesday January 13, 2010 00:00

This was after Namibia had beaten Botswana team 2-1 in extra time, meaning the two teams were level on points as earlier in Gaborone the Botswana team had beaten Namibia by the same margin.

Takobana said the team would continue to train for future competitions like the Zone VI championship. She added that for her players to play over 90 minutes in Namibia without showing any signs of fatigue was a clear sign that her side 'is ready for the bigger stage'. Takobana believes that if her team had enjoyed the same spectator support that they usually command in Gaborone, the girls could have done much better. She gave Batswana fans a pat on back pat for rallying behind the team whenever it plays at home.

She said unlike in the past, the supporters' presence at the games was currently overwhelming. She suggested that just like with other national football teams there should be supporters accompanying the women's teams whenever they go for international assignments.

Botswana Football Association (BFA)'s Tshepo Mphukuthi said though the team crashed out of the qualifiers earlier it was evident that individually, players were mellowing. He said the stage fright that used to characterise the team has waned. He blamed their loss in Namibia partly on that country's hostile weather. He said most players could not adapt to high temperatures despite having gone to Windhoek early to acclimatise. He said some players had difficulty breathing while others developed stomach cramps.

Mphukuthi added that the national Botswana Games that were held in December helped them identify some players that they hope to use to beef up the squad. For her part, team captain Gauta Tsebe said the major lesson that they have learnt as players is that they should always be committed to do their best under all circumstances.

Tsebe attributed their loss in Namibia to some players' lacklustre performance. She added that they were also not treated well by the hosts, which contributed to their downfall.

She observed that the ground that they trained on was of poor standard and that they were not shown dressing rooms during the game. 'When we finally got to the rooms, we found them dirty but we did not have much choice,' Tsebe said.

Namibia will now face Nigeria in the next level of the competition.