There is presently much to write home about regarding the state of Namibian football in general. For now I will focus on the Namibian Football Executive Committee, their involvement in soccer in general, the rules, regulations and statutes, interpretation and application thereof, a call to translate NFA constitution, the rules, regulations and statutes in local vernaculars.
I have conducted a quick desktop research regarding the current individual NFA Executive members in the wake of the episode unfolding at Soccer House. I concentrated on their involvement in football in general, number of years in football and their know-how of the game.
My findings were surprising: all these folks have credible track records with their involvement in football administration. Some served a good number of years in chairmanship positons where they hail from, some own football academies etc.
Based on the above narrations, I would expect them to be the masters in knowing the NFA constitution, the rules, regulations and statutes. The interpretation, comprehension and application of the very same constitution, rules, regulations and statutes without fear or favour and also to safeguard the image of the institution they lead.
These people ought to know better by virtue of where they are coming from where football matters, but it seems not to be the case. For this reason my next question would be: Do we need to have people with vast knowledge of football and its administration elected into executive positions or do we need to elect people with no football administration who can boldly, without fear or favour, apply the rules, regulations and statutes?
I will opt for the latter with the added advantage being knowledge of football administration based on the present unfolding episodes at Soccer House. There are many questions that need answers. What are the rules governing the election of the New NFA executives?
Are their appointments in the best interest of football going forward? Are they doing what they are supposed to do, do they have the interest of football in their hearts? Have they lost track of their mandate? Are they able to discern sense from nonsense in football terms?
Are they compromised in terms of ethics? Have their interest in football waned? Are they the best? Let the NFA constitution be amended to allow other competent Namibians a chance to occupy these positions for a change.
I am reminding and appealing to the current NFA Exco Committee that they are not the best Namibia could offer or not even the best at the time they were elected. These executive were wheel-barrowed through elections on very detrimental and wrong impressions which they cannot soberly address at this point in time.
Public office holders in the land of the brave should learn to inculcate the culture of only serving the terms enshrined in the constitution to give chance to the other able and competent Namibians to come on board and to make meaningful contributions. Sometimes you don’t need to wait until the term comes to an end and should vacate the public office if you can’t deliver.
Do some introspection of yourselves, ethically and otherwise and leave the office, don’t even stand or avail yourself for any other positions. You have dismally failed to discharge your duties in every regard. You have very well and diligently ensured that chaos has been orderly created at Soccer House.
We cannot have the same people and expect different results otherwise insanity will envelop us. There have been many inconsistencies that have been inconsistently applied. The moment anyone becomes a law unto themselves and shifting the goal post when it suits them is a dangerous thing to do.
Going forward we want leaders who cannot be at any time under any circumstances compromised. Type of leadership we want at Soccer House must agree to disagree ethically and should be able to move on without fear or favour in discharging their duties.
We don’t want to promote “tombstone mentality” amongst our football leadership. We have smartphones keypad pushers of whom some don’t help to advance the good governance of football in Namibia but their blind loyalty reigns supreme over logic and crystal clear rules.
They only aid to the detriment of the governance of football and so-called leaders knowing that they have blind loyalists with “tombstone mentality” continue to drive football into the ground. That is way below the belt.
Whoever is going to be elected to the New NFA Executive committee must please find a means to translate the NFA constitution, rules, regulations and statutes and all related football documents into all the local vernaculars. (Local languages) I mean all the local languages spoken in Namibia.
Queen’s language is always not user friendly and by translating the constitution, rules, regulations and statutes in local languages will enable our leaders to better read, comprehend and to apply it with ease to diffuse any discrepancies. This might be a costly exercise but it will help a great deal.
North-West Soccer Stream is no exception when it comes to the misinterpretation and application of the rules governing football in many regards. Rules are bent and twisted at will which is unacceptable at all. The perfect example is of the rules governing the method to be used to promote and relegate clubs to and from different NWFD leagues, ownership of two teams in one league and the recent Military School/Okahandja United debacle and handling thereof.
And now with the letters written to FIFA, we only hope for the best outcome for our football, because as things stand we don’t know what tomorrow holds.
(The views expressed here are in my personal capacity and not those of Touch & GO FC)