WINDHOEK – If Namibian football clubs are serious about the growth of the Namibia Premier League (NPL) and the country’s football in general, then it’s high time they stop electing “functional illiterates” as their representatives.

These were the words of NPL chairperson Patrick Kauta during the league’s 2018/19 season awards ceremony held at Safari Court Hotel in the capital on Saturday, where he advised that if the league and Namibia as a whole are to improve and start giving sponsors their money’s worth, clubs will need to start reconsidering who they elect as their representatives.

“Club management and marketing of the club and their activities to their supporters are crucial components to appreciating sponsors… but of course you can’t elect functional illiterates to lead clubs and expect a proper product,” said Kauta, who also spoke at length about the various unmined potentials of the NPL and Namibian football when compared to neighbouring countries.

Kauta, who is also chairperson of African Stars, also took a swipe at the Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee for the Namibia Football Association (NFA), saying the time is ripe for the committee to set up and announce a congress date for the association where a new and legitimate leadership will be elected.

“But we can’t speak of wanting to create a viable product if there is a leadership vacuum. The current leadership vacuum in our football breeds the very chaos that continues to pervade in our football… so I challenge the NFA Normalisation Committee to announce a congress date in the next two weeks and not become a permanent committee that was not elected by football people. The leadership vacuum is a problem,” said the lawyer as he shot from the hip during the glittering ceremony.