WINDHOEK, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Namibia coach Ricardo Mannetti remains optimist for qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group despite his team succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Guinea Bissau on Saturday.
The Namibian team came into the match with issues of match fitness but showed determination. Mannetti on Sunday in a statement said the team remained on track for Cameroon 2019 and can change things around come next year when the qualifiers resume.
"If the boys can give such a showing despite all the challenges of no league football in the country in the past year, I think it gives me hope that we can make it still. We should not press panic buttons yet," he said.
According to Mannetti, the long break before the next qualifiers will give him and his team ample time to make some amends especially in terms of match fitness and he hopes the domestic league would have returned by then.
"I think it is also a blessing in disguise that we only play next year and hopefully by then the boys would have kicked off with the league here locally and build on the performance," he said
Meanwhile, the squad will recompose and will depart soon for the 2017 Cosafa Cup quarterfinals against Lesotho on July 1 in South Africa.
