Word floating around is that those who call the shots at Lichtenstein Strasse, the headquarters of the Namibian Rugby Union (NRU), are apparently engaged in undesirable underground maneuverings to beef up the Welwitschias world cup squad with additional members.
It is believed desperate rugby bosses have been burning the midnight oil to fast-track the citizenship of a couple of pale hide blokes – six players, to be precise- from South Africa to represent our Land of the Brave at next year’s International Rugby Board (IRB) World Cup in England.
Those with intimate knowledge of the alleged underground moves at Lichtenstein Strasse, say the Union does not want to be embarrassed at the global showpiece and is ostensibly determined to dispatch a competitive team that can leave a long lasting impression at the 2015 IRB World Cup, hence the wayward desire to wangle the identity of the envisaged traveling entourage.
This could be a well-meant intention, but such an undertaking is betrayal in the highest order and a disgrace to the oath of what this great country stands for and should be discouraged by all means. National sports teams should be solely represented by our citizens, notably indigenous Namibians, period!
Never pay your lawyer by the Hour
To control a rat infestation, French colonial rulers in Hanoi in the 9th century passed a law for every dead rat handed to the authorities – the catcher would receive a reward. Yes many rats were destroyed, but many were also bred specially for the same purpose.
Yours truly almost fainted when paging through a letter written by Du Plessis, Roux, De Wet and Partners on behalf of Katutura glamour football club African Stars addressed to world’s football governing body, FIFA, dated 22 July 2014.
In the letter, the club is requesting FIFA to intervene in the drawn-out dispute between Stars, NFA and Namibia Premier League (NPL). As much as yours truly would love to agree with the aggrieved party on certain aspects, there is an element of being economical with the truth.
The letter makes no mentioning of the score-line in the abandoned match nor does it acknowledge the club’s blunder to cite the NFA as first respondent in the dispute instead of the NPL.
For starters, the appeal was not purely dismissed on technical grounds but for the simple reason that what was supposed to be the presiding body was made to stand trial. Anyway, the appeals committee was illegally constituted and whatever outcome, should be annulled.
In reference to the abandoned match, one also finds it strange that the 2-0 score-line of this match has been deliberately excluded in the letter to FIFA. I’m just saying. And by the way, the matter was scrapped off the roll and is not pending as stated in the complaint to FIFA while on the interpretation of arbitration, the club can only exhaust this route after an appeal has failed.
Stars’ action by writing directly to FIFA is totally unacceptable and could have serious repercussions for its litigation when the club appears before a disciplinary hearing for having brought the game of football into disrepute.
FIFA does not deal directly with clubs unless all lines of communication have been exhausted. In this case, the Namibia Sports Commission and the country’s sport ministry must have been approached before taking the dispute to CAF, obviously via COSAFA. I rest my case.