Windhoek
As far as the chief administrator of the Namibia Premier League (NPL), Tovey Hoebeb, is concerned, the newly established Football Stakeholders Forum (FSF) is bound to cause more damage to local football than provide much-needed solutions.
FSF is a newly established alliance that consists of former and current footballers, coaches, as well as various football administrators all working under the FSF banner to rescue the NPL and Namibian football in general from going the way of the dinosaurs.
The FSF consortium is led by outspoken local gaffer Woody Jacobs and an appointed committee tasked with the responsibility to engage the NPL Board of Governors (BoG) in roundtable negotiations in an effort to address issues and problems threatening to derail the progress of domestic football – with a special focus on NPL administrative affairs.
With Jacobs steering the ship the FSF committee’s other members include veteran and well-respected football administrator Uncle Bobby Sissing, Bertus Bock, Alfred Ndyenge, Costa Kheiseb and Olsen Kahiriri.
Announcing the birth of FSF and its objectives, Jacobs led a well-attended gathering at Eldorado High School Hall on Thursday night, where he at full length discussed the short-and long-term objectives of FSF with those in attendance, including the media.
In their envisaged meeting with the NPL governors, the FSF committee plans to bring to the fore the plight of hundreds of footballers currently roaming the streets due to the inactivity of the league, among many other pressing issues currently retarding the growth of the beautiful game at home.
Given the fact that FSF does not have any legal standing to remove the under-fire NPL administration, any ambitions to elbow the current NPL executive out of office in the shape of a motion of no confidence were thus defused.
As it stands, only league affiliates can remove the current NPL hierarchy from office and only through a ballot unleashed by its affiliates.
In a brief response to questions from New Era Sport, NPL chief administrator Hoebeb yesterday pleaded ignorance of FSF’s existence and its mandate as football stakeholders.
“We only heard about FSF through media reports and so far that’s all we know. But as far as their mandate, objectives and their overall function as stakeholders, I seriously don’t have any idea, as there has never been any formal memorandum between the NPL and the so-called FSF.
On that note and with my limited knowledge on the origin of FSF, I really can’t comment much at this point in time,” Hoebeb said. “If they claim to be partners, or concerned stakeholders, why have they not engaged the relevant authorities running football in this country? Not even the NPL, or the NFA was engaged and informed about their plans and how we can all work together in serving football better. How can you want to help somebody, but you are not willing to openly engage them? They are just causing more confusion,” he charged.