The National senior football team, the Brave Warriors have been dealt a major blow ahead of their must win clash against Kenya in the 2010 FIFA World Cup preliminary and CAF qualifiers in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday.

Utility left back Jamunovandu Ngatjizeko has pulled out of the Warriors' travelling squad to the east African country with a nagging injury.

Ngatjizeko has been amongst the rare bunch of consistent performers during the Warriors' lukewarm campaign in the FIFA 2010 World Cup preliminaries, which also double up as qualifiers for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola.

His inclusion in the strong 18-member squad was a foregone conclusion until a freak injury forced the versatile former Hot Flames protégé out of the travelling entourage to Kenya.

The MTC Namibia Premier League player of the year for the 2007/2008 season was the only footballer from the domestic league assured of a place in Tom Saintfiet's team, laden with Namibia's foreign legion.

Namibia got off her campaign in great fashion after seeing off the very same Kenyans in the first leg in Windhoek earlier this year before the wheels of fortune suddenly came off during subsequent matches against Zimbabwe and Guinea respectively.

The team's string of poor results hastened the unceremonious departure of coach Arie Schans, after the Dutchman was eventually shown the door by the country's football authorities.

The Warriors' technical staff cut lonely figures when they left for Johannesburg earlier this week without any playing personnel in close proximity. The bulk of the players are based in South Africa and Europe with the exception of clubless pint-sized midfielder Rudi Louw.