Legal practitioner Sisa Namandje donated N$300 000 to the Namibia Football Association (NFA) in Windhoek on Thursday.
The amount, specifically for the third football division will be cut up in three parts (N$100 000) which will be paid every year for three years.
NFA president, Robert Shimooshili said the funds will cater for the development of the players, particularly assisting clubs to travel from their constituencies to the venue where their matches will be held, to ensure the safety of players and referees and for medical personnel and equipment.
“Football belongs to all of us. Together, we can do better. Now, we are going to sit as leaders to see how this money will be allocated to the beneficiaries. We talk about medics, referees, and security. All these are surrounding areas which we have to sit and see,” he said.
He called for more sponsors and donors including media houses to support local football.
The third football division was introduced recently and encompasses young male and female players in every region.
The NFA is financially sourced by FIFA, CAF, the Namibian government, and corporate entities.
NFA marketing director, Isack Hamata expressing appreciation for the donation, added that there still lingers a funding shortage in the NFA.
“We will execute what we need to execute, but it doesn’t mean that the funding is enough. For instance, if a national team is in camp, ideally, a maximum of two weeks,” he stated.
Hamata added: “But because of funding shortages, we are only spending a week in camp. But if we had adequate resources, we would even spend a month or more to make sure that our teams are properly prepared.”
He highlighted many other activities for which funding is required and commended the goodwill of FIFA, CAF, the government and the corporate entities.
FIFA and CAF’s money are disbursed for specific purposes and cannot be used willy-nilly with Hamata saying, “those are used for what they intended to use,” he said.
“For other programmes, we need the support of the government and corporate entities. They don’t give you necessarily what you ask them, but they give you what they can, and you need to make sure you use it for what you have asked it,” he continued.
Namandje also bequeathed his foundation, Sisa Namandje foundation, with N$100 000, funds paid from his monthly earnings.
“We made a commitment, particularly in a few years when we were launching one of our groups here, that we need business when it comes to corporate social responsibility. And already this year we have paid thousands of Namibian dollars towards social responsibility and benefited several people across our country. And sometimes our donations are made by the law firm in some cases, but more generally by the foundation,” he said.
The philanthropist also donated N$103 000 to 103 three houses at his home village, Oshikulu.
“That village made me. It was extremely difficult because I grew up in a very poor environment, although not necessarily everybody in that village assisted me in growing. So I think it is just better that at some point I also assist directly people of my village, particularly the children, because many of them, while the government has done so well over the last 34 years, many of these kids are undergoing the very same problems I underwent because of poverty,” he added.
Subsequently, he splashed N$10 000 to a northern rural soccer team after players approached him for assistance. The amount was paid to a shop in Ondangwa this week to supply the team with football kits.