Will Benjamin survive the pressure?

Brave Warriors senior coach Collin Benjamin’s stay as national team gaffer could be under deliberations following his team’s poor showing in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, sources in the NFA have revealed.

Namibia's journey towards the next Africa Cup of Nations is officially over as the nation has failed to win any matches in the qualifying group so far.

Besides rumblings among football fans, this situation has allegedly prompted members within the Namibia Football Association to start talking about the future of the gaffer, who still remains contracted to the association.

Benjamin’s contract which began in June 2022 is expected to run until June 2027, but many have questioned if he would be able to continue in his role following a string of poor results.

The coach, who was appointed by the Fifa Normalisation Committee and handed a five-year deal, has since found himself working under a different administration and leadership at the association.

Speculation regarding talks of a foreign coach had already been doing rounds in the corridors of the association upon the team’s return from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations which was played in Ivory Coast during January this year.

Sport Wrap understands that the coach was closely monitored by the NFA hierarchy throughout the matches.

Even some administrators in top positions have allegedly already expressed their dismay over the team’s lack of winning results recently.

Sources however also say there are a few in the structures that have continued to back Benjamin.

The fact that Benjamin’s contract runs until 20207 could make it difficult for the NFA to pull the plug on the coach without having to settle significant amounts of money.

“The fact that Collin still has a contract that runs for five years will make it difficult for the NFA to simply sack him.

“I have been reliably informed that such talks have already been in motion for a while now. The tricky part is that the NFA will have to pay out Benjamin’s remaining years on his contract if they are to sack him and that is proving to be the complication,” the source said.



Shares going down

Gauging by the social media responses, the football public’s patience appears to have run out, as the memories of the Brave Warriors’ first-ever qualification for the 2023 Afcon round-of-16 under Benjamin’s watch have by now largely faded.

Deon Hotto’s 1-0 winning goal against Tunisia and a 0-0 draw against Mali was enough to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament as a third-placed team.

In the last three months however, Namibia have lost all five of their most recent matches.

They lost 5-0 to Angola in the final of the 2024 Cosafa Cup, before going down 1-0 to Cameroon in the Afcon 2025 qualifiers.

Namibia went on to lose 1-2 to Kenya, 0-1 to Zimbabwe and on Monday 1-3 to Zimbabwe, inflicting the mortal blow to the hopes of the Brave Warriors qualifying hopes.

The coach and many supporters have stressed the fact that Namibia plays its international matches outside the country due to its absence of CAF-approved stadiums.

In terms of selection, Benjamin has favoured giving opportunities to the younger generation, often using terms like “energy” and “aggression” to describe what he is looking for. However, despite creating promising opportunities during the Afcon qualifiers, the lack of finishing has cost the team dearly.



Background

In an accomplished playing career, Benjamin earned over 30 international caps and captained the Brave Warriors for several years, representing the team at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

He played for German Bundesliga sides Hamburg and TSV 1860 München, where he became one of very few Namibians to play in the UEFA Champions League.

The now 46-year-old hung up his boots at TSV 1860 München at the end of the 2011-2012 season, before returning to Namibia with the aim of improving the standard of football in his mother country.

The NFA did not respond to questions before this publication went for print.