WINDHOEK – Contrary to a recent resolution by the Namibia Premier League (NPL) Management Committee (MC) to have last month’s abandoned MTC Premiership clash between African Stars and Orlando Pirates replayed over the remaining 8 minutes – Stars have taken offence and are having none of it.
In a statement released to the media yesterday, the aggrieved Reds accuse the league of having acted contrary to the FIFA laws governing the game of football by ordering the abandoned match, which resulted from a power outage, to be resumed tonight for the remaining 8 minutes plus the referee’s optional time.
In a strongly worded letter, Stars say the decision is an absolute disregard of FIFA laws and challenges the MC to show which laws were accepted and integrated into the rules of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) and challenged to the fullest extent.
Law 7 on page 29 of the Laws of the Game 2013/2014, authorized by the International Football Association Board, states specifically: “An abandoned match is replayed unless the competition rules provide otherwise. The NFA rules do not cater for this specific situation and is specifically subject to the FIFA laws of the game.
“The NFA will be approached on a notice of appeal to rectify this unfortunate disregard of the FIFA laws of the game by league authorities. The club will keep its valued members and supporters updated concerning progress in this matter,” ends the statement.
By Carlos Kambaekwa