With just one match left to play in the current campaign, the once-mighty and storied football powerhouse of Namibian football, Black Africa (BA) Football Club, finds itself in an unprecedented and deeply troubling situation. 

The club, now a first-division outfit after years of top-tier dominance, is teetering on the brink of relegation to the second division – a fate that would mark a historic low for a team synonymous with excellence in the domestic game.

Mathematically, the odds are stacked against the Katutura-based side. BA FC must pull off a virtually impossible feat: defeating Ramblers by an 11-0 margin in their final league match this weekend to remain in the first division. 

Alternatively, they must hope for divine intervention in the form of Oranjemund losing to Dates Eleven FC, a scenario just as uncertain. The stakes could not be higher for a team that once stood as a symbol of pride and dominance in Namibian football.

Adams unfazed

Renowned as a talent factory over the years, BA has historically been a launchpad for players who went on to become national team regulars and regional stars. The club’s legacy includes producing some of the finest footballers the country has ever seen  – making its current predicament all the more heartbreaking for fans and neutrals alike.

However, Tomas Adams, the current chairman of Black Africa, remains unfazed amid the storm. He is adamant that relegation will not be their fate and insists that certain technicalities could still work in their favour. His confidence remains unwavering, even as speculation swirls that BA might consider buying another club’s status or entering a so-called gentleman’s agreement with Ramblers to secure survival by other means.

An anonymous source said there is no way they can survive being relegated. The margin of goals they need is too big.

Still, Adams remains optimistic and claims that the executive committee believes the club stands a great chance of surviving. Yet, in a rare moment of candour, he admitted that the team’s performance this season has been below par- a hard truth that no one associated with the club wants to face. 

He further attributed the team’s fall from grace to internal threats and friction, pointing fingers at disgruntled supporters whose actions, he claims, have made life increasingly difficult for the club to operate.

Supporters frustrated

On the other hand, long-time supporter and vocal BA advocate Shaun Gariseb did not mince his words. He expressed profound sadness and frustration over what he described as the exclusion of Black Africa from the broader transformation of Namibian football — a transition that, in his view, has left one of the most decorated clubs in the wilderness.

“The relegation was inevitable. We saw it coming from last season,” Gariseb lamented. “Based on the formula used to run the club by the current leadership, we knew it wouldn’t work — from their indifferent attitude toward everything, their cluelessness about running a football institution, to deliberately excluding the majority of the club’s members — who are in fact its backbone. It was a recipe for disaster from the very beginning.”

He continued: “You can’t train at a complex and expect to play association football. That’s not the standard of Black Africa. I don’t blame the players or the technical staff — this club is simply being poorly managed. Last season, they barely survived relegation, relying on questionable results on the final day. That alone was a sign that things were not right.”

Gariseb traced the club’s decline back to 2020, when a new leadership regime took over under controversial circumstances. “The rot started with the establishment of the 2020 leadership. They went ahead and drafted a new constitution even though there was already an existing one. They sidelined the majority of supporters when they elected each other in a garage in Rehoboth — at a time when the whole country was battling the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“It didn’t stop there,” he added. “They held the Annual General Meeting far away from the supporters, making it difficult for people to register as members again. They extended their mandate illegally by re-electing themselves after their term had expired. All this was done without accountability.”

Gariseb called for immediate change: “This current leadership must resign after the last match. They must apologise to the supporters and members of the club, who are the rightful owners, and allow them to elect proper leadership.  He also pointed to BA’s absence being felt in local football. “Let’s look at player contributions to national teams and supporter engagement. BA is the most diverse team in Namibia with a following that stretches across different ethnic and regional lines.”

He concluded with a heartfelt plea: “My message to those who have chained us to this jinx – please, free our club.”

Swartz resigns

In a further sign of turmoil within the club, it was just last week that Willie Swartz announced his resignation from the executive committee.

“You are also notified, by way of this letter, that I am stepping down from my role as interim head coach, which I occupied since the beginning of the second round,” he stated in his resignation letter.

Swartz expressed both gratitude and frustration at his departure. “I am grateful for the chance to work with the team and give the boys a fighting chance to stay in the first division. But my continued involvement with BASC under the current working conditions has reached a point of no tolerance.”

Club alumni

Founded in 1986, Black Africa has long been a dominant force in Namibian football, regularly competing at the highest levels of the Namibia Premier League. Their trophy cabinet includes multiple league championships — at least seven since independence in 1990 – further cementing their reputation as a footballing giant. Internationally, BA has flown the Namibian flag in continental competitions, including the CAF Champions League (formerly known as the African Cup of Champions Clubs) and the CAF Confederation Cup.

Over the years, the club has nurtured a long list of stars, including national icons such as Rusten Mogane, Albert Louw, Spokes Tibinyane, Pius Eigowab, Dawid Snewe, Hannes Louw, Malaka Somseb, Gabes Dausab, Stu Damaseb, Mike Hans, Lucky Boostander, Five Hochobeb, George Martin, Smithly Engelbrecht, Lucky Richter, Hassie Mingeri, Hubert Mootseng, Frank Fredericks, Bobby Samaria and Ronnie Kanalelo. 

-lmupetami@nepc.com.na