By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK – The African Stars and MTC Namibia Premier league (NPL) debacle has again taken another twist, with league sponsors MTC now also fully joining the fray after Stars chairman, Sidney Martin, threatened not to spare MTC legal repercussions if they join league authorities in hosting the annual NPL awards.
As of yesterday, MTC’s Tim Ekandjo was beating the war drums in anticipation of a possible tussle with Stars’ chairman and cautioned that MTC is more than ready to unleash its distractive missiles, should Martin’s threats form into action.
Statements carried by The Namibian daily newspaper yesterday reported Martin making it categorically clear that the awards ceremony should not be staged as such a move would constitute a direct violation of the running legal process between Stars and NPL.
Martin was further quoted warning that should the MTC sponsored awards go ahead, he will not spare MTC legal repercussions due to their involvement as sponsors of the highly disputed awards.
Ekandjo, however appeared unshaken by Martin’s threats, saying he was disappointed in the short-sightedness of Martin’s leadership and added that Stars receives over N$ 800,000 from MTC per year to run their day to day affairs and they now have audacity to threaten the very same hand that feeds them
“MTC’s monthly grant monies pays the salaries of Stars players’, pays the clubs daily expenses and keeps them going and yet they show us no courtesy. We invest over N$ 14 million in the NPL per year and for one of their member clubs to threaten us in this manner, and challenging us publicly is very despicable, but it’s a challenge we gladly accept,” reacted Ekandjo.
“We are not threatened by Martin and if his intention is to challenge MTC, we wish to assure him that African Stars will be the biggest losers at the end of the day, and should the NPL authorities continue to allow such threats on their principal sponsor, football by extension might just be the biggest loser because we can with immediate effect withdraw our investment and reinvest it elsewhere, where we will be appreciated and respected”
“MTC have made it very clear that the date of the MTC NPL awards were set by the NPL and that MTC was merely consulted and informed, and that MTC does not meddle in the affairs of football and having given that explanation, Stars still threatening us instead of taking up their grievances with the league is uncalled for”
“Should MTC ever receive court papers where MTC is cited as a party, African Stars and the NPL would unfortunately have to bear the consequences and we are not making empty threats, because it will be a decision they will forever regret,” concluded Ekandjo.