Let me let the cat out of the bag, there are two local football teams that are very close to my heart since I was a young boy, hardly out of my pair of shorts, they are; Blue Waters and Orlando Pirates.
Please don’t ask me how come and why? Firstly, I grew up within a multicultural society in my village //Xaire (Okatupapa) where tribe was immaterial. It’s needless to note that my heart bled furiously when news came through that the Ghosts were relegated from the country’s elite football league upon completion of league activities in the 2018/2019 campaign.
Nonetheless, I could take solace from the fact that “Omeya” at least managed to survive the dreaded relegated axe that has been hovering over the Atlantic Oceaners for the better part of the season but lucky enough they survived relegation by the skin of their teeth.
Need I say it loudly that I’m over the moon about Fifa’s decision to nullify the country’s elite league MTC Namibia Premier League’s (NPL) announcement and rightly so, that the trident of my beloved Pirates, Young African (by default) and former multiple league champions Civics, will be no longer enjoying premiership status.
And while football lovers have been waiting with bated breath wondering who would succeed them in the 16 team league, “bang” here comes the world football governing body Fifa ordering the beleaguered Namibia Football Association (NFA) that no promotion or relegation should be effected.
Interestingly, as it stands the three relegated teams should start in the elite league next season and don’t forget that includes Young African – a scenario that might not exactly sit well with those that sought to have the boys from Cattle Country grounded.
We need to get the fundamentals right here; yours truly needs be schooled as to how the World’s football governing body arrived at taking such drastic measures in the absence of a formal appeal from any aggrieved party unless the general public was kept in the dark, including the author. As much as I would like Pirates to remain in the top league, as a pen pusher yours truly is driven by principals and the moral duty to uphold the truth, fairness and justice. If my recollection serves me right, NPL is an autonomous body with its own executive organ (BoG) and should operate as such and for Fifa or NFA Normalization Committee (NC) to dismiss the NPL resolution is tantamount to gross interference.
This weird decision, if it really comes from Fifa which yours truly seriously doubts, unless the men in blue suits in Zurich were fed with a cock and bull story, is likely to set a potentially very dangerous precedent that could have far reaching repercussions in similar cases in the future.
Any issues that involves teams from the Premier League should involve the NPL and if there was dissatisfaction with the NPL mandate to relegated teams from its structures, the decision should be challenged through the proper channels of communication via an appeal.
In the conspicuous absence of any communication between NPL and NFA over the issue of promotion/relegation – the NPL’s mandate to relegate teams as per its statutes remains valid until proven otherwise. Anyways, the financing and the oiling of the First and Second Division machineries are the responsibility of the NFA and not that of the NPL, so why should the NPL fall prey to the NFA’s failure to fund the two lower divisions. I rest my case.