‘Namibia has respect for Zambian coaches’

From ALEX NJOVU and CHRISTINE CHISHA in Windhoek
NAMIBIA national soccer team striker Muna Katuposa says the football fraternity in that country has respect for Zambian coaches because of their vast knowledge and determination to succeed.
Katuposa, who has scored 16 goals for the Brave Warriors, said in an interview yesterday that Ben Bamfuchile was the best foreign coach to have drilled the Namibia national soccer team.
Bamfuchile guided Namibia to the 2008 Ghana Africa Cup of Nations finals.
He died in December 2007, a few days before the start of the tournament.
“What is important is that my ‘father’ Ben Bamfuchile left a huge mark on Namibian football. He was a great man, he was a father figure. I still call him dad because he gave me and my twin brother our debut when we were just 18 years. I remember scoring the goal in Ethiopia which took Namibia to the Africa Cup in Ghana. I went in as a substitute,” Katuposa recalled.
Katuposa, who is a teacher by profession, said many Namibian players and the football family at large are happy with the good name that Zambian coaches have built for themselves over the years.
“I would not mind to be drilled by a Zambian coach again. Zambian coaches know how to identify talent, they are patient and they know how to bring out the best in players.
“We talk a lot about the good times we had with Bamfuchile. The last time we had a Zambian coach, our team qualified to the finals of the Cup of Nations. This is why we have a lot of respect for Zambian coaches and football in general,” he said.
And Katuposa’s twin brother Tara, who is an electrician, said Zambia has continued to play a key role in the development of soccer in the region.