WINDHOEK – Former Brave Warriors midfield genius Congo Hindjou lauded Brave Warriors interim coach Bernard Kaanjuka and his charges for their gallant showing against Liberia, despite exiting the tournament at the first hurdle. He urged the nation to keep rallying behind the boys.

Speaking to New Era Sports yesterday, Hindjou rubbished the armchair critics questioning Kaanjkuka’s coaching credentials. He insisted the coach is on the right track and is without doubt the best man for the Warriors’ hot seat.

Hindjou further appealed to the nation to give the team more time, since there are a few inexperienced players who still need more time to learn the tough and demanding rigours of international football, adding that people should stop comparing the current team with the “Class of ‘98”, because the two teams belong to different eras of Namibian football.

“I know many people are obviously disappointed with the result and the failure to qualify for the 2013 Afcon finals, but we also need to understand that things like this happen in football. We played some fantastic football against Liberia and created a few decent goal-scoring opportunities which our boys failed to convert in comparison to the almost zero chances that our opponents had – and that’s a clear demonstration that we were slightly better than Liberia,” said Hindjou.

“Luck was just not on our side in that match, but I’m confident we might even do better in the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

“Our foreign-based players also played a vital role in helping the team to be where it is today, although a few of them performed poorly in some games. However, I still believe their presence and experience are needed. Let us unite and give the coach and the players time to adjust and take Namibian football to greater heights.”