When yours truly learned that our esteemed national broadcaster Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) would flight a live broadcast of the MTC Premiership match between Katutura giants Black Africa and unfashionable MTC Premiership outfit Citizens, the first reaction was WOW !!, thinking some blokes were smoking weed somewhere.
Truth be told, I’m not the kind of dude who’s in the habit of multiplying entities beyond necessity. Kudos to the NBC production team and more importantly, both sets of players from Black Africa and Citizens for dishing out exciting football never seen in our neck of the woods for a considerable period.
Television viewers certainly got value for their TV licence fee and these types of live televised football matches should be used as a vital marketing tool to lure football fans to the stadiums.
Doubtlessly, the players lived up to the occasion and the broadcasting was spotless. It made yours truly sit up and eat humble pie – it takes a man to admit your mistakes even in the way we construct our misguided thoughts.
Live broadcasts not only reach the eyes of those who are unable to attend football matches or living in remote areas, it also ignites the players to lift their game.
Without an iota of doubt, one particular player who seriously caught my eye was Citizen’s attacking midfielder Tjiuana Tja Tjinotjiua. The boy was a marvel to watch as he showed maturity way belying his rookie tag while his first touch, close ball control and arrogance were something out of the ordinary.
Overlapping young defender Dynamo Fredericks has certainly come of age. The boy is a natural footballer blessed with speed, a great passer from range with unbelievable stamina and very solid defensively and offensively, but needs to put the final touches to his deliveries in the third quarter.
The onus now rests on the bright shoulders of local media practitioners (print and electronic), club officials and all stakeholders to put their shoulder to the wheel in a combined effort to vigorously promote local football.
Bra JJD goes at it hammer and tongs
It sounds like the Namibian Premier League (NPL) honcho, Johnny ‘JJD’ Doeseb was reading my mind as to what I was going to address in my weekly column this week.
Yours truly fully concurs with Bra JJD on his take about the government’s tortoise pace approach to building recreational facilities. It’s the naked truth that the relevant authorities have done very little, if any, in the crucial area of sports development.
There have been lots of noise about nation building, but alas, how the bloody hell does one develop a nation without bringing them together through recreational activities? I’m just asking.
Yours truly vividly remembers having a chat with my buddy TY not so long ago when in transit at the modest Rwada International Airport in Kigali.
I was very impressed with the set-up and thought if these blokes could rebuild the war ravaged infrastructure in such a short period of time, then we should be a step ahead. Our lawmakers should wake up from seemingly permanent squatting in slumber land, smell the java and start getting their priorities in order.
Namibia is becoming notorious for its limitless generosity and has made it her sole province in hosting major global events, which offers little significance to the plight or rather overall development of its inhabitants, so to speak.
It’s totally unacceptable and uncalled for that a country like Namibia, blessed with a wealth of natural resources, does not have a decent standard sports stadium deemed fit enough to host international sporting events. I rest my case.