After careful consideration and some kind of soul searching, yours truly is tempted to conclude that the unwarranted ongoing triangular saga between Katutura glamour football club African Stars, Namibia’s flagship league, the NPL, and the country’s football governing body, the NFA, is nothing short of foul play and is tantamount to results manipulation.
The question is – who decides ultimately and what kind of role do those who follow the beautiful game (spectators) have in the conduct of the game they follow with so much passion – in the end the arbiters of what is deemed fit and proper within the sporting realm?
As it stands, personal bias has taken centre stage in the process softening the edges of moral outrage – thus blurring the lines of correct procedures. What we are currently faced with is a miscarriage of justice and collective foul play by the parties involved.
It’s a shame that clubs are now resorting to winning football matches on the green table in boardrooms rather than on the field of play. But alas, rules have been inked with the primary objective to guide our togetherness and should be adhered to at all times.
In the same spirit, African Stars, as the aggrieved party sought clarity from the NPL Management Committee (MC) as to how it arrived at the applied sanction to have the match replayed over the remaining 8 minutes plus the referee’s optional time.
Yours truly is justifiably inclined to conclude that in the conspicuous absence of basic rules dealing specifically with matches that end prematurely, the decision can be rightfully interpreted as basic manipulation.
This is because the MC failed to substantiate its resolution as to why the match should not be replayed in its entirety. The sanction is in harmony with the noble understanding that the power outage, which led to the abbreviation of the match, was man-made despite everything else suggesting that it was a natural disaster.
The bottom line is that all these manipulations have all to do with three influential elements, namely moolah, greed and above all, big egos among football’s heavyweights who have axes to grind with one another.
Circumstantial evidence points to the country’s football governing body, NFA, as having erred big time with the appointment of an Appeal Board to preside over a case in which the association itself was cited as the guilty party (first respondents). The Appeal Board was illegally constituted and therefore has no jurisdiction to preside over the case, period!
In all fairness, logic suggests the NFA should have referred the matter to the presiding body of sports, in this case, the National Sports Commission (NSC).
What really worries yours truly to great sickness is the continuous non-committal attitude adopted by both the presiding body and portfolio ministry in pronouncing themselves on this burning issue, which could have far-reaching repercussions in the long run if not promptly arrested.
Should any of the parties involved in this ugly debacle be found to have acted against the spirit of fair play, strict sanctions should be applied and if it’s the club, they should be charged for bringing the game of football into disrepute and if it is the MC who have bungled, as it appears, they should be ushered through the exit door.
Domestic football has for far too long been served by officials with a whale of vested interest and who at the same time have become a law unto themselves – running the affairs of the beautiful-turned-ugly-game as if it is their private kambashus. I rest my case.
By Carlos CK Kambaekwa