It’s now an open secret that our treasured national asset, football, is stuck between a rock and a hard place for a considerable period. It looks like the much hyped appointed Fifa Normalisation Committee (NC) wasted little time in putting its ducks in the row. 

For sure, my learned colleagues certainly hit the ground running, though its entrance has been sadly overshadowed by the unceremonious exit of “out of favour” former NFA Secretary General, Barry Rukoro. With utmost respect, yours truly has trust in the five member NC but somewhere along the lines there seems to be a misunderstanding about the Committee’s terms of reference, so to speak. “Don’t play the man, play the ball” - removing Rukoro from office does not necessarily solve the problems currently bedeviling domestic football. The NC should keep their eyes on the ball and concentrate on putting proper structures in place. 

A humble request, roll up your sleeves and start putting in motion a new model for elections, amend the fragile NFA Statutes, in an effort to allow suitable candidates to raise their hands for vital positions within the structures of our football. Let us do away with the outdated process where executive members’ tickets to plum positions within the NFA are left at the behest of dodgy regional chairmen. Such practice is prone to manipulation and bribery. Almost a fortnight has passed on and all we hear every day is “Barry this, “Barry that – for heaven’s sake, let’s move onto the next chapter and forget about Barry. The game of football is much bigger than one man though he has to weather the storm. I must admit the brother survived the journey quiet well, excuse the pun.

Coming back to the contract debate, its understood the ousted SG argues that he has signed an employment contract agreement that should sat him intact until the prescribed retirement age of 60, notwithstanding the fact the contract was for two years. This sudden turn of behavour leans toward lack of integrity and deliberate attempt to deceit. 

The author including the general public is fully aware that marathon deliberations were held about the ousted SG’s proposed contract extension and for clarity sake, there was no mention or any other debate whatsoever about the contested clause of “retirement age”.

It’s now crystal clear that there is indeed some worrisome flaws in the employment contract whose some of its misbehaving clauses gravely contradict each other, but alas, what makes one clause carry more weight than the other? I’m just asking.  Now the fundamental question that seeks answers in this case is, why should the age issue (60) elbow the two-year clause as clearly inked in the same document? I’m just wondering.

Logic suggests that should there be any sort of discrepancies in a signed contract between two parties - that document should be annulled by all means. Nonetheless, this is exactly what happens when documents are copied and pasted without scrutiny.  

Let Caster be what the Almighty created HER to be 
The ensuing hullabaloo about South Africa’s athletic golden girl, one Caster Semenya, has a sting in the tail. This is a well-orchestrated unsporting act of hypocrisy, punctuated by blatant racism, sheer arrogance, ignorance and total disregard for human dignity, so to speak. 

It’s painful that the International Association of Athletics Federation sees it fit to propose a limit on the amount of testosterone that can occur in women athletes, obliging Semenya to take hormone suppressants.  The heartless athletics bosses even went as far as claiming that Semenya is a “biological male” classified as female and want her to use hormone suppressants to get her testosterone below the bar for at least six months before competing – what nonsense is that?
It’s very strange that when retired tennis star Martina Navratilova, whose physical appearance resembles that of Semenya, dominated the world of women tennis, nobody raised a finger.  

Football had this tallish center forward from the Czech Republic, going by the name of Jan Koller, who stood at 2-2 meters in his socks wearing size 15 togs. The latter played for Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund and his extra-ordinary huge frame was reminiscent of a basketball player. 

Koller’s unnatural height proved a menace for many defenders as he won almost all aerial duels with relative ease but again there were no qualms or any talks of unfair advantage. 
I rest my case.