Shooting From The Hip ! Carlos Kambeakwa Heitarazo, As the battle for the country’s highest sports portfolio intensifies, yours truly feels like a blind man trapped in a dark room, and all this crap has been triggered by the non-existence of a blueprint on how to take our football to the next level as trumpeted by those who want to run for the Namibian Football Association’s Presidency. I’m a great believer in the philosophy of “those who flash the bills call the shots” because I’m not in absolute appreciation of the current voting system in our structures which is based on political lines. The current voting system gives all affiliates equal voting powers, but this exercise can only work in an environment where the majority is more or less on equal terms, which is the opposite in Namibian football. The Namib Premier League should have a bigger say in the running of domestic football, but it has been the opposite. But when it comes to the allocation of funds, the country’s football authorities see it fit to channel a sizeable chunk of moola towards the direction of the NPL. The allocation of funds certainly confirms the league’s mass appeal, and there should be no two ways about its status – there have been suggestions that the Chairman of the Namib Premier League automatically becomes the NFA Vice-President. However, this proposal was summarily shot down by those in the top echelons of the Namibian Football Association as they did not want a powerful deputy who might challenge their authority midway through their term of office. With only a fortnight before the ball gets rolling at the eagerly-awaited National Elections by the end of this month, some regions appear to be totally out of their depths regarding their preferred candidate for the NFA Presidency. Some of them have been lulled into a false sense of belief by those who claim to have the interest of football at heart while trying to dribble their way around the very same principals they ought to uphold. Since the resignation of Judge President Petrus Damaseb earlier this year, there has been very little interest, if any, to take over the hot seat and so far, the only serious contender is former Blue Waters’ player and current Chairman, Hendrik Dawids. Hennie is certainly not a novice in football administration and his record with Blue Waters speaks volumes after former speedy left-winger turned the Walvis Bay outfit into a professionally-run club with one of the best football coaches around at the helm. Football has been in a mess for quite a while and it’s about time for former footballers to stand up and be counted and not just be paraded in camouflaged cameo roles in the form of insignificant Sub-Committees such as the so-called Veterans Council. Let the football-loving public give Dawids the benefit of the doubt as he might come up with wholesale changes to the fragile football structures, because this is a man who has shown real passion for the game and not just paying lip service because he has in the past invested piles of moola into Blue Waters’ coffers, and the end result could attest to it. My only concern about Dawids’ candidacy for the NFA President is his strategists who appear to be hell-bent on getting on the gravy train rather than aiming for the transformation of the ailing fortunes of domestic football. In order to implement his demographical change, Dawids needs to mingle with credible personalities and not a bunch of lackeys whose only livelihood appears to be centred on Soccer House. The ongoing wrangles among the Namib Premier League clubs have the potential of swinging the vital NPL vote, and this might not augur well for Dawids’ aspirations at this point in time. Football administrators are notorious for their ignorance on the very same laws that govern the game, and I’m not at all surprised that some of these self-styled football gurus are already betting on the wrong horse. For starters, the Amendment to the Namibian Sport Act of 2003 Part V (25) which deals with Members of the Executive Organ of National Sports Bodies and National Sports Umbrellas, clearly stipulates the following: -A person may not hold office as a member of the Executive Organ of a National Sports Body or National Umbrella Sports Body for a period exceeding ten years in aggregate. (John Muinjo is a case in point). -A person may not hold office as a Member of the Executive Organ on more than one National Sports Body or National Umbrella Sports Body at the same time. (Agnes Tjongarero is currently wearing two hats simultaneously). -A person may not hold office as a Member of the Executive Organ of a National Sports Body or National Sports Umbrella Sports Body if such a person is a Member of the National Assembly, a Regional Council or a Local Authority Council. (Parliamentarian Buddy Wentworth heeded the call and packed his bags – paving the way for Brrra Alpha, aka Barry White to cement a permanent spot in Athletics Namibia). -Section (p) of Part Two in the Amendment of the Namibian Sports Act of 2003 which deals with the Functions and Powers of the National Sports Commission, requires it to ensure that National and Umbrella Sports Bodies comply with this Act and their constitution and rules, especially on discipline. (The very same Sports Commission is in the dock on account of this practice because how the bloody hell would you dare call others to order while your own pozzie is on fire). The Commission is making a cardinal mistake by keeping mum on the above-stated and, as a result of its silence, has sown seeds of chaos and it’s now just a matter of hanging in there for the harvest, which yours truly really dreads witnessing. In the meantime, I rest my case, but stay on the ball for more analyses on the upcoming NFA Congress. Holla outies, its jibbos to call it quits for the time being, so until next Friday, I’m off and enjoy a trouble-free weekend.