… NFA congress to decide league’s fate

Otniel Hembapu

Former president of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) and highly-respected sports administrator Doc Naobeb says he does not support and nor is he convinced that expelling the Namibia Premier League (NPL) will bring lasting solutions to the current impasse in local football.
Speaking to New Era Sport yesterday, the now retired veteran football administrator who served as first-ever president of the NFA immediately after Namibia’s independence, believes that it will be a huge mistake and poor judgement if the current leadership of the NFA goes ahead and expels the league at tomorrow’s 16th extraordinary congress.
Naobeb is strongly convinced that problems currently facing football can be easily resolved if the leaders of both the NFA and NPL come together and talk about matters without putting their personal issues at the fore.
“I have been reading in the papers and hearing about the NFA’s plans to expel the league, but I really doubt if such a move will be to the benefit of any one. The issue here seems to be egos and personal vendettas, but not football. Because if it was a football issue, they would have resolved it already as the laws and statutes of the game are there to guide them. It’s really a pity we have come to this extent as a country. I hope the NFA leaders will rethink their position and make a wise decision that will be to the benefit of the players. At times I wonder what is the big issue that they can’t seem to find a compromise on – it really leaves me wondering,” said a downcast Naobeb.
He added: “They should put their differences aside and come to the table. I know the item of expelling the league is already on the congress agenda for the weekend, but I believe there is still time to make things work between them; they should do it for the poor players and for their country. If personal issues are put aside, they can do it.”
Also adding his voice was former NPL chairperson Johnny ‘JJD’ Doeseb, who said: “What’s happening in football is heart-breaking and I feel for the players and entire football family. They must reach a compromise in the interest of football and for the benefit of players and everyone. Personal differences must not be made football problems, please.”
The NFA is pursing the expulsion of the league based on the provisions of Article 15 of the association’s statutes, which states: “congress may expel a member or a member of a member if they fail to fulfil its financial obligations towards the NFA; if they repeatedly violate the statutes, regulations, directives or decisions of NFA, Cosafa, CAF and Fifa … if they bring a dispute to an ordinary court, except in cases where the Fifa, CAF or NFA regulations or binding legal provisions specifically provide for or stipulate recourse to ordinary courts, if it does anything which seriously brings the game into disrepute or prejudices the contractual obligations of NFA”.
For the extraordinary congress to succeed in expelling the NPL, more than 50% of the delegates representing the members eligible to vote at the congress is necessary for an expulsion to be valid, and the motion for expulsion must be adopted by a three-quarter majority of the valid votes cast.
According to the documents, apart from the NPL’s possible expulsion, congress will also attend to the approval of judicial bodies such as the disciplinary committee, ethics committee, and audit and compliance committee, as well as scrutinise the audited financial statements for the period ended 3l March 2019, among other items. – ohembapu@nepc.com.na