By Carlos Kambaekwa
WINDHOEK
MTC Namibia Premiership title contenders Black Africa Football Club are to face the wrath of the league’s disciplinary committee after the Namibia Premier League charged the Katutura-based club for bringing the league into disrepute.
At the centre of the storm is Black Africa’s apparent refusal to honour its league fixture against African Stars after the black and red stripped outfit fingered the appointed match referee Mathew Katjimune of having taken a yet-to-be declared substance that could have rendered him unfit to officiate in that particular match. The match was eventually abandoned before a ball was kicked at the recommendation of match commissioner Boy-Boy-Ndjadila.
Under the Namibian Football Association’s Rule 11.5, the match official and the two clubs were compelled to file reports on the incident which the two clubs failed to comply with.
However, upon a request from the Namibia Premier League, African Stars turned out to be the only team to have acceded to the request while Black Africa asked to be given more time before they could provide such a report.
The league management felt that both clubs had the duty to comply with Rule 11.5 and resolved that no further extension would be granted. In doing so, the management resorted to the next step as stipulated in the league’s statutes which meant charging the guilty party based on the evidence gathered from the reports.
The charges relate to causing an official league match to be abandoned and bringing the name of football into disrepute, whilst Black Africa’s head coach Smithley Engelbrecht and his deputy Dirkie Beukes have also been added to the charge sheet for allegedly using abusive language and threatening a match official.