Salomo Hei
In his Damascus moment, Pastor Niemoller said the following:
“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist; then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist; then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist; then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew; then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
Fast forward to 6 November 2022, and Namibian football returns after years of leadership vacuums, misguided infighting, and compromises on the integrity of the game. This being an African Stars FC home game, the team requests that the first game be played at the Dr. Hage Geingob International Rugby Stadium. There was a deliberate move to stage the game there because the internal view was that the team that qualifies to play in Africa could gauge the state of readiness of the stadium. The Rugby Stadium was/is certified to stage international rugby games.
On 13 May 2023, which is almost six months later, African Stars FC is crowned the Debmarine Premiership Champions, and the logical thing for all involved is to return to the Dr Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium for consideration of hosting the home games for the participation of CAF in inter-continental club competition. This is not to say that the Brave Warriors should continue to play their home games in South Africa at a huge cost to public finances.
As per the requirements of CAF regulations, clubs that qualify for the inter-continental club competition need to be licenced. In accordance with the CAF Club Licensing System and other competition regulations, the clubs intending to participate in CAF IC competitions must fulfil the criteria and requirements set out in the CAF Club Licensing Regulations (edition 2022), related to:
• Sporting
• Infrastructure
• Administrative and Personnel
• Legal
• Financial
The process of submitting the above is being carried out by the participating club, along with the accompanying costs.
Infrastructure relates to stadiums; at the risk of losing the reader, cast your mind back to the 6 November 2022 and the Brave Warriors continuing to play home games in South Africa.
As part of the submission to CAF, African Stars FC proposes the Dr. Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium as its home stadium, and inspection is carried out by the NFA/CAF club licencing desk.
CAF issues a circular dated June 6, 2023, stating that in preparation for the CAF interclub competitions’ 2023/2024 season, all clubs interested in participating must respect the club licencing procedure and cooperate with their respective federations, as non-licensed clubs will not be allowed to participate in the upcoming CAF Interclub competitions.
The licencing decision for African Stars FC arrives on the 30 June 2023, as an indication that African Stars FC have met all requirements set out to participate in the intercontinental club competition for 2023/24.
Article 6 of the CAF Stadium Regulations (Edition 2022) specifies and categorises the hosting stadium (Dr. Hage Geingob International Rugby Stadium) for the Men’s Champions League Preliminary Round in Category 2. The same can be perused on page 17 of the CAF Stadium Regulations (Edition 2022).
Article 3 of the CAF Stadium Regulations (Edition 2022) goes further and says, ‘each member association (in our case the Namibian Football Association) whose territory CAF competition matches are played is responsible for:
• Inspecting every stadium and completing the corresponding online form, confirming to each CAF administration that each stadium meets the structural criteria of the required stadium category. (In our case, the Dr. Hage Geingob International Rugby Stadium is Category 2.)
• Confirming to the CAF administration that the stadium, including their stands and facilities (emergency lighting system, first aid facilities, protection against intrusion by spectators into the playing area, etc.), have been thoroughly inspected by the competent public authorities and that the latter have confirmed in writing that the stadiums meet the set requirements.
• Ensuring that the stadium is certified with a safety certificate (Certificate) from an appropriate national competent body. The certificate shall comply with the requirements in the CAF Safety and Security Regulations. The certificate issued by the appropriate body shall be valid for a maximum of two (2) years and shall be valid on match day.
• Communicate to CAF administration within the set deadline the stadium selected for use in a given CAF match. In case of non-communication of the requested information within the deadline, the CAF administrations are entitled to fix the venue of the match on behalf of the member association/club. When fixing the venue for a match, the CAF administration may select any approved stadium, including the opponent’s stadium.
• CAF may inspect stadiums at any time before or during the CAF competition in which they are used, to check whether the required structural criteria are met.
• The CAF administration may grant an exception to a specific structural criterion in cases of particular hardship and upon reasoned request, for instance, owing to the current national legislation or if the fulfilment of all the required criteria would force a club or association to play its home matches on the territory of another association. Exceptions are always granted for a limited period of time. Such decisions are always final.
The last particular clause is critically important and, in the case of Namibia, has never been explored. On the 01 August 2023, CAF informs the NFA and by extension, African Stars FC that the Dr. Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium is not on the database of approved CAF stadiums, and the NFA thereafter belatedly submits the report on the stadium on the 1 August 2023. CAF dismisses the report and says the stadium does not meet CAF standards. The timeline and dates are critical.
This is the tragedy of Namibian football.
As we reflect on the Dr. Niemoller Damascus moment in the 1940s, the NPL was expelled and no one spoke out; the Brave Warriors are playing their home games in South Africa and no one is speaking out; Tura Magic Women’s team was not allowed to participate in the Cosafa Cup and no one spoke out; African Stars FC is being forced to play their home games on foreign soil, and this is the collective failure of Namibian Football.
*Salomo Hei is an Executive Director at African Stars FC.