Sebastian Kamungu
FIFA normalisation committees have been appointed on all continents.
Among the affected countries were Greece, Ghana, Argentina, Thailand and Kuwait.
The most common reasons for these interventions are non-compliance with FIFA statutes, e.g., irregular election processes, lack of financial accountability, direct government interference in the internal affairs of the association, hiring and firing of association officials, for instance, impasse amongst opposing factions rendering the organisation dysfunctional.
What is the Namibian experience?
The first FIFA Normalisation Committee to replace the Namibia Football Association (NFA) executive, established in 2020, came about as a result of a deadlock between the NFA president, Frans Mbidi, and secretary general Barry Rukoro.
The parties could not agree on the termination or extension of the secretary general’s term of office.
The executive was not only split on the matter, but their term lapsed, while the dispute remained unresolved.
As part of its mandate, the FIFA Normalisation Committee held elections, where Ranga Haikali won a runaway victory as NFA president.
FIFA endorsed the outcome of the elections as free and fair.
The second Normalisation Committee, introduced in 2022 was once again the consequence of an impasse between opposing factions, which rendered the NFA dysfunctional as neither party had a decisive majority.
To make matters worse, war broke out between the secretary general and the president, with both parties laying misconduct charges against each other.
One of the factions also suspended the president, leaving the association in limbo.
FIFA undertook an investigation and concluded there was a need to introduce a normalisation committee again “due to the differences between members of the executive committee, an amicable solution seemed very unlikely as the positions of the committee members were too far apart, and as they had been rightfully dismissed by a sizeable majority of NFA members’’.
FIFA further resolved that “concentration of both administrative and executive powers in the hands of a single individual (secretary general) was inappropriate”.
What have we learned from these unfortunate episodes?
Tribalism remains a serious obstacle to progress, as alliances are often tribal or regional, not surprising considering the history of football in pre-independence Namibia under apartheid.
What if the regions re-elect the previous executive members; how could conflict and a further deadlock be averted?
In fact, should football structures be based on political regions?
Existing club structures whereby ownership rests with “communities” or individuals with deep pockets do not augur well for governance; moreover, these affiliates are certainly not in compliance with FIFA licensing requirements.
With virtually non-existent management structures, and a lack of accountability and transparency amongst members of the Association, especially the top flight of football in Namibia, how can the controlling body NFA function effectively?
Is there a sustainable business model for football to achieve its primary objectives of grassroots development, and the introduction of professional football?
While there are lots of opportunities for football to exploit strategic partnerships with private and public institutions to mobilise resources, internal failings of the association, however, remain the biggest hurdle in achieving this.
Leadership perhaps remains the NFA’s biggest challenge, how do we attract people with integrity and required capacity within society and not only those within the football circles?
Football is an industry worth over N$50 million per year, with the possibility to provide over 2 000 sustainable jobs.
The impact of football on the SMME and corporate sector cannot be underestimated; there are opportunities for service providers in travel and transport, recreation, food & beverage, wellness and the media.
Football also contributes to the fiscus.
While brand building, marketing, sales and corporate responsibility may be their focus, the corporate sector must find ways to leverage their position as sponsors to enhance corporate governance thereby ensuring the prudent management of resources and building the institutional capacity of the association.
Government as the biggest funder of sports in Namibia, through its agencies like the ministry and the Namibia Sports Commission, has to find a balance between enforcing national regulations which will further its objectives of youth development, wellness, and recreation without falling foul of FIFA regulations.
Most importantly, the urge to start playing football should not make us overlook underlying fault lines, let us reboot and start all over when we are ready.
For how long a potentially thriving football industry can remain a missed opportunity; it is not about sports – it is a matter of national interest for which we should all accept responsibility as stakeholders and put our shoulders on the wheel to find a lasting solution, especially in the context of the 2027 AFCON bid.
*Sebastian Kamungu is a former secretary general of NFA and the first executive producer of NBC Sport.