African Cup of Nations record:
Previous appearances in finals: (2) 1998, 2008
Best performance: Group phase
Drawn in Group D with the Ivory Coast, Morocco and South Africa.
Coach: Ricardo Mannetti
Mannetti might sound Italian but is Namibian-born and played most of his career in neighbouring South Africa, where as a creative midfielder he won a league title with Cape Town club Santos.
He started coaching almost as soon as he hung up his boots, first at club level in Windhoek, then with Namibia’s under-20 juniors and, from 2013, the national team.
The 44-year-old is among the younger crop of coaches at the tournament in Egypt.
Key player: Ryan Nyambe. Age: 21. Fullback.
Brought up from the age of nine in England, Nyambe only made his international debut last week in the build-up to the finals
He is one of just two European-based players in the squad, having already had three seasons in Blackburn’s first team after joining their academy at the age of 13. In April, he signed for two more years with the Championship outfit.
Nyambe was born in Katima Mulilo, which is on the northern border with Zambia.
FIFA world ranking June 2019: 113
How they qualified: Second place team in Group K, behind Guinea Bissau but ahead of Mozambique and Zambia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Loydt Kazapua (Maccabi FC), Max Mbaeva (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Ratanda Mbazuvara (African Stars)
Defenders: Charles Hambira (Tura Magic), Riaan Hanamub (Jomo Cosmos), Denzil Haoseb (Highlands Park), Larry Horaeb (Baroka FC), Ivan Kamberipa (African Stars), Ryan Nyambe (Blackburn Rovers)
Midfielders: Dynamo Fredericks (Black Africa), Ananias Gebhardt (Tura Magic), Deon Hotto (Bidvest Wits), Absalom Iimbondi (Tigers FC), Joslyn Kamatuka (Cape Umoya United), Ronald Ketjijere, Marcel Papama (both African Stars), Willy Stephanus, Petrus Shitembi (both Lusaka Dynamos)
Strikers: Isaskar Gurirab (Life Fighters), Itamunua Keimuine (Dire Dawa City), Peter Shalulile (Highlands Park), Benson Shilongo (Ismaili), Manfred Starke (Carl Zeiss Jena). (Compiled by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)
Credit: reuters.com
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