Well, yours truly is not in the habit of multiplying entities beyond necessity. Nonetheless, all the brouhaha that have captured the imagination of football followers across all corners of the country in the aftermath of the Brave Warriors quarterfinal exit from the continental showpiece Afcon 2023 hosted by Cote d’Ivoire earlier this year have awakened my itchy pen to spit venom, analyse the disgruntled players claims, and put the issue into perspective.
After numerous failed attempts to get out unscathed from the group stages, let alone record a single win from nine previous attempts in the continental flagship showpiece, the Brave Warriors surprised friends and foes by reaching the quarterfinals as one of the third best-placed nations.
To put the cherry on top of the cake, the Namibian amateurs saw off tournament pre-favourite Tunisia in their opening match and went on to hold another African powerhouse, Mali, to a goalless stalemate despite suffering a self-inflicted 4-0 heavy defeat at the hands of big brother South Africa.
Theoretically, Namibia entered the continental showpiece as the lowest-ranked nation for the month-long competition but left the tournament with their heads held high after climbing up the ladder to 16th position.
Regrettably, the Warriors on-field performance did not match their off-field contact, as their unbecoming behaviours left a stink in the tail, so to speak. Yours truly stands corrected, but from the minute squad members and their henchmen learned about the appetising size of moolah Namibia stood to pocket from reaching the knockout stages, the boys took their eyes off the ball and started making imaginary arrangements with luxury car dealers.
With almost two months gone after the curtain finally came down on the continental showpiece, social media has been abuzz with complaints and unsubstantiated accusations of fraudulent practices directed at Football House.
The association stands accused of withholding bonuses for the Brave Warriors players, including the technical team and all that jazz. It’s said the players are demanding the N$15 million dollars be shared equally among the players and technical personnel.
Fair enough, will the aggrieved party also be willing to share expenses that occurred during and prior to the commencement of the tournament in equal terms? This reminds me of a bunch of uninformed factory workers demanding a salary hike just because the company’s turnover is satisfactory.
To make matters worse, the keyboard warriors have also weighed into this unnecessary debacle, throwing their weight behind the players and pouring oil into the fire. Some of the self-proclaimed Facebook football pundits vehemently trashed the association’s envisaged plans to use a portion of the prize money to upgrade existing infrastructure. HELLO !!!! It’s the sole prerogative of the association to decide how their money will be used.
It’s weird that nobody, including the media, has taken time to conduct a proper assessment, let alone pose pertinent questions about the FA expenses, do a bit of calculations as to how much the FA spent on renting stadiums, accommodation, meals, flight tickets, and hiring suitable fields for practice sessions considering Namibia played all her home games away from home. Playing for the national team is an honour and should be treated; accordingly, it should not be seen as a milk cow. Players should use international call-ups as a platform to showcase their God-given talent and attract interest from potential suitors. I rest my case.