Freshly elected Namibia Football Association (NFA) President Robert Shimooshili has laid out his project to revamp the beautiful game in the African country in discussions with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Namibia’s men’s national team are preparing for their fourth-ever CAF Africa Cup of Nations campaign having qualified for the 2023 tournament, the second time they are participating in the continental showpiece in the last three editions.

In the meeting with Mr Infantino in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023 is taking place, President Shimooshili detailed how he intends to drive development forward to ensure the nation’s sustained football growth and success.

“I was pleased to meet the President of Namibia Football Association, Robert Shimooshili. I’m impressed by his plans for Namibian football, as he clearly has the energy and vision to get the game moving in the right direction in the country,” said the FIFA President. “His ambition to focus as much on the grassroots as the top talents is exactly what FIFA hopes to see the world over, so that every girl and boy sees a path to becoming a footballer. “The Namibian men’s national team will gain invaluable experience at this CAF Africa Cup of Nations, and I’m sure President Shimooshili and the Namibia Football Association will use what they learn for the benefit of the beautiful game across all levels in Namibia.”

Mr Shimooshili acknowledged the value of FIFA’s support, and stated that the NFA will strive to open Namibian football up to all. “We informed the [FIFA] President about our mission and vision, in line with our manifesto, which we gave to our voters and the international community, and in terms of our plan, the objectives and goals we want to achieve during our term,” explained the NFA President. “We want to ensure all our activities, which have to work concurrently, include all the categories: men, women and youth development. Also, we want to ensure we have good infrastructure in terms of football administration and management. Namibia is a small country, but big in terms of love of the game.”