Renowned local football pundits, including Namibia’s 2023/24 season double champions African Stars FC, have all voiced their support for Debmarine Namibia’s call for the country’s top-flight league to operate independently from the NFA.
In a widely-circulated communique between Debmarine and the Namibia Football Association (NFA), the marine diamond mining company communicated its willingness to sponsor the league with N$18 million for the 2024/25 season, but only on condition that the league is disbanded from the NFA, and is run autonomously.
The condition, Debmarine said, is non-negotiable and also includes the NFA making sure that all pending disputes with regard to the number of clubs that will constitute the league in the coming season are fully resolved.
“Debmarine envisions a model where the league operates as a separate entity, with or without a minority stake by the NFA, to ensure smoother governance and day-to-day operations. This model will create a strong brand that could attract additional sponsors and investment,” reads the letter dated 5 September 2024.
Another condition put forth by Debmarine is for the NFA, in collaboration with clubs and with support from Fifa, to come up with a concrete and sustainable plan on how the league’s proposed independence will be achieved starting from the 2025/26 season.
The above conditions and the set deadlines are all non-negotiable and could be potential deal-breakers should the NFA fail to meet them, Debmarine strongly pointed out.
Meanwhile, an NFA official yesterday confirmed the authenticity of the letter and the stringent conditions contained therein, but said the football association could at this point in time not comment as the letter was leaked to the media.
“The NFA cannot comment on the letter. It will be akin to legitimising the leakage and at the same time undermining the authors,” said the NFA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Football analyst and veteran journalist Carlos Kambaekua said Debmarine’s demands are reasonable and seek to address the burning question of professionalism in local football. “I fully agree with Debmarine. You can’t just give money and then turn a blind eye. For an amount of money that large, there needs to be accountability and transparency. This will also attract more sponsors and ensure the league runs smoothly. Those are very fair and justifiable conditions by the company,” he said.
Another pundit and women’s football legend Julien Garises shared similar sentiments, saying the NFA’s unscrupulous behaviour as an institution over the last few years has placed it in this difficult situation.
“The moment you let sponsors dictate what to do with your product, it means you don’t own it anymore. But overall, I agree with the sponsors. I believe we brought this upon ourselves, and we have to get our act together to fix our football. If we want progress, we need to get things in order and follow the right procedures, or else we’ll end up begging for control over our own product,” she stated.
Herald Hecht, president of Ramblers and renowned football administrator, expressed mixed feelings about the situation but principally supports Debmarine’s decision.
“This debate has been going on for quite some time now, and I’m surprised we are only receiving the message now. This aligns with other major football leagues such as the Premier League, La Liga, and the German Bundesliga, which are all independent entities. On the other hand, just because you are the sponsor does not mean you have the right to dictate what the league should be. But I also believe there’s a reason Debmarine is saying this, and the NFA should critically think about it and understand why such a decision is being made,” he added.
Similarly, Namibian defending champions African Stars FC equally threw their weight behind Debmarine, saying: “African Stars have noted the letter circulating in the public domain. We support the proposal and call on all stakeholders to endorse it so that football can begin.”
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na