By Otniel Hembapu
WINDHOEK – There is always wisdom in dialogue and broader communication in the art of conflict management.
Sport has no room for egos and personal gratification but only room for sacrifice and dedication for the greater interest of the game. This was the message of the Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, Jerry Ekandjo, read on his behalf by sports administrator Ndeulipulwa Hamutumwa during the recent MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) annual awards ceremony in Windhoek.
In the statement, Ekandjo said his office has observed with serious concern the infighting and superfluous misunderstandings amongst leaders of various sports codes and warned that it’s a dangerous practice that has the potential to taint the beautiful image of Namibia’s sports fraternity.
“It is our joint responsibility to always safeguard the interest of the game’s owners who are the athletes. We have a collective responsibility to ensure that the inheritance of our future generation is protected at all times. We should at all times be mindful that when two elephants are fighting, it is the grass that suffers the most,” said the legislator.
More specifically on football, Ekandjo urged administrators to be sensitive to players and always jointly strive to tackle issues that might arise in the process of developing the beautiful game, and most importantly, problems should be tackled via round-table discussions, he said.
He called on all sports stakeholders to redouble their efforts and become truly efficient contributors to the social and economic development of Namibia within the framework of sports empowerment.