While we wait, take a gander at the Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly. That right there is a football stadium. No doubt about it.
Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly looks extra ready ahead of kick off! 🤩🇨🇮 #TUNNAM | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/tJI9hsaD9P
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 16, 2024
Five minutes to go. Still no live broadcast. Guess we’ll switch over as it kick-off.
A shout out to the man in the middle, referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan.
Loads of his fellow Somalia and this is a Pan-African tournament. So let me join the love-in and wish him well.
Somalia’s own Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be officiating tonight’s Tunisia VS Namibia game at Africa Cup of Nations, wishing him the best of luck and a remarkable performance pic.twitter.com/VUMFQUvcBv
— Mohamed Ahmed Cantoobo (@Cantoobo) January 16, 2024
A reminder of the other two teams in Group E.
It’s none other than the great Bafana Bafana, winners in 1996 and custodians of the greatest football shirt ever made (go look up South Africa’s gear when they won the competition. It’s sublime).
They’ll take on Mali at 8pm. Both sides will be banking on beating Namibia and will expect a tough assignment against Tunisia. So, an upset here will go down a treat.
There’s just one Premier League player in action in this one.
That’s Sheffield United’s Anis Ben Slimane who starts for Tunisia.
Derby’s Ryan Nyambe is Namibia’s sole English representative.
In fact, other than Aprocius Petrus who plays for the Kosovo club Liria Prizren, Nyambe is the only European based player in the Namibian side.
Tunisia have loads of European experience. Three play in France, three in Germany, two in Switzerland and one each in Hungary, Italy, Denmark and Greece.
Will that count?
The gods appear to be on Namibia’s side. At least according to some superstitious fans.
SHOWERS … Downpours soaked the streets of Windhoek on Tuesday, bringing much needed refreshment. Some residents took to social media to say the showers were a good omen ahead of the Brave Warriors' clash with Tunisia at the African Cup of Nations at 19h00 today. pic.twitter.com/u37oK4QSkb
— The Namibian (@TheNamibian) January 16, 2024
Burkina Faso (a dark horse for many) needed a 96th minute penalty to beat Mauritania 1-0! I’m telling you, this Afcon is as mad as I’ve ever seen!
Tunisia starting XI: Ben Said, Kechrida, Meriah, Talbi, Maaloul, Skhiri, Ben Romdhane, Ben Slimane, Achouri, Khenissi, Msakni
Subs: Laidouni, Haddadi, Ltaief, Srarfi, Valery, Sliti, Ghram, Hassen, Abdi, Rafia, Jouini
Namibia starting XI: Kazapua, Nyambe, Amutenya, Haukongo, Tjiueza, Limbondi, Shitembi, Petrus, Hanamub, Shalulile, Hotto
Subs: Haoseb, Gebhardt, Hambira, Katua, Kambato, Muzeu, Kamatuka, Papama, Ndisiro, Wendell, Kamberipa, Maova
Tunisia Vs Namibia starting lineups. #AFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/c9Gx59X8lW
— AFCON 2023 (@DiskiAfrika) January 16, 2024
It’s been an Afcon of upsets, shocks and surprises. So although this one might look like a gimme for a team that has won this competition against a team that had previously only qualified once before, all bets are off.
Tunisia, though, will still fancy themselves. The 2004 champions topped their qualifying group and have a striker in Yousef Msakni who is looking to score in a record-equalling sixth Afcon tournament.
Namibia will lean on their forward Peter Shalulile who plays for South Africa’s leading club, Mamelodi Sundowns. Their one and only appearance on Africa’s grandest stage came in 2019 where they lost all three group matches.
This is only the two nations’ second ever meeting and the first in a competitive setting. Way back in 2007 Tunisia triumphed 2-0 at home.
It’s all pointing to a comfortable win for the Eagles of Carthage over the Brave Warriors, but as we’ve seen, nothing is guaranteed in this bonkers event.
Kick-off at 5pm GMT. Teams and more updates to come.