Ananias Gebhardt returns to national team

WINDHOEK, 15 MAY  – Namibian left back, Ananias ‘Junior’ Gebhardt, has made a return to the senior national football team after an absence of about two years.
The last time the former Tigers Football Club player did duty for the Brave Warriors was at the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup held in Windhoek in 2016.
He now plies his trade with Jomo Cosmos in the South African National First Division.
Speaking to Nampa on Monday, national team coach Ricardo Mannetti said Gebhardt has played his way back into the squad that will be made up of 80 per cent locally-based players and a few foreign-based players to beef it up.
“In the process of building a team, there are players who fall out while others rise and Gebhardt fell out, but he has been instrumental for Cosmos this season and worked his way back into the national team.”
With Gebhardt called to the national team, there will now be competition for the left back position, which has been occupied by Orlando Pirates player Riaan //Hanamub.
“Gebhardt has always been a good team player and he won the Cosafa Cup (2015) as well as the Plate (2016), that’s why it’s good for //Hanamub to know there is a quality player out there who can come and take his place, but we will see how training goes and the best player will play at Cosafa.”
The coach added that the only foreign-based player who will not make his squad is Benson Shilongo, who is currently nursing an injury.
Training for Cosafa started on Tuesday and the team will depart for South Africa for a training camp a week prior to the quarterfinal match against Zambia on 02 June 2018.
Cosafa runs from 27 May to 09 June.

NAMPA