WINDHOEK - Brave Warriors head coach, Ricardo Mannetti said the current Namibia Premier League (NPL) format does not benefit the Brave Warriors in their quest to qualify for major tournaments.
Speaking to Nampa on Monday after announcing a 29-member squad to represent Namibia versus Botswana month-end, Mannetti said the current season, which runs from September/October to April/May, makes it difficult for the Brave Warriors to prepare adequately.
"When most African leagues are in season, ours is off season. This means our local-based players are really not match fit. I would prefer to have the season running from February to November for the Braves and other reasons," he explained.
Mannetti also stated that Namibia was different from other countries as half the players were based locally and the rest in South Africa and overseas.
He added that even clubs struggle with the fitness of players after the November to January mid-season break, as the players come back overweight and unfit as a result of festive season.
"Namibians are good at enjoying the festive season. We eat and drink freely during that time. The players are also affected as they enjoy the mini break and the second half of the season is always difficult for them as well."
Mannetti said this can be avoided if football is played in the format followed by the rest of Africa as players will enjoy their festive season without worrying about getting fit in time for the resumption of the second leg.
The Brave Warriors coach noted that some people will complain about playing in winter, arguing that fans will not attend matches.
"Football is a winter sport, players will enjoy playing throughout winter. As for the fans, we are not getting any fans with the current format, so that cannot be used to stop us from changing the format," he said.
While he prefers the February to November league, it is up to the clubs and league management to change the current situation, he said.
The coach said with Confederation of African Football having rescheduled the Africa Cup of Nations from February to June/July, this would serve Namibia well.
Mannetti has been critical of the current league, stating that the national team always suffers on International Federation of Association Football dates between August and October.
Two years back, Woody Jacobs, the then coach of Orlando Pirates Football also called on the authorities to consider changing the league format.
However, league chairman Patrick Kauta on Tuesday disagreed with Mannetti, saying the NPL has played the league from February to November before.
"We were told that we must change to the current format so as to benefit the national team, which we did. Now how can we be asked to change the format on the same reason?" he questioned.
Kauta added that they had not received any formal request from anyone to change the format. - Nampa
