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Desperate times for NPL

2016-10-07  Staff Report 2

Desperate times for NPL
Desperation by definition is the form of recklessness when people suddenly realise that they have very little hope and are ready to do anything without worrying about the danger or consequences to either themselves or others. Well, yours truly heard sounds of desperation during the much-trumpeted Namibia Premiership (NPL) sponsorship announcement, which turned out to be a laughing stock. What was meant or rather made to be a much-welcomed revelation of a new sponsorship deal turned awry and into an amateurish sponsorship presentation at the tiny, but packed-to-the-rafters hall at the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Football House yesterday. Dozens of journos, footballers and a few former players were left flabbergasted and rightly disappointed by the half-hearted announcement of a mooted sponsorship of N$3 million from a relatively unknown company with a questionable track record, whose standing is overshadowed somewhat by highly questionable past dealings in the construction industry. The journos on duty tried their level best to make an effort to understand the complexity of the subject at hand and to communicate it to the masses out there. But instead of being specific with the figures, the clearly arrogant NPL officials wanted to turn sports scribes into chauffeurs, as consolation for their patchy knowledge and understanding of good corporate governance. Needless to point out that true experts possess the rare ability to recognise the limits of what they know and what they don’t, especially when they find themselves outside their circle of expertise. They keep their mouths zipped, or simply say “We don’t know, my broer.” Period! Truth be told, calling journalists on a busy Thursday afternoon while they’re chasing deadlines to attend a half-fermented beer press conference was a damn insult to the intelligence of mankind – to say the least. Many a football fan expected an announcement as to when the league would start its mooted activities, but were sorely disappointed when the league bosses started lecturing those in attendance about their well-defined sponsorship strategies. As it stands, the league is no longer hoping to plug the N$9 million hole in the budget, but must still find at least N$24 million for the league’s operations to get underway, following the withdrawal of the principal sponsor, MTC. Yours truly is still trying to put his finger on the pulse as to what exactly my learned colleagues have been smoking. It’s a matter of desperation when the NPL hierarchy starts conjuring up ghost sponsorship deals off the top of their heads. Ag sies tog. Chickens come home to roost for NRU So, it appears the chickens have finally came home to roost for the seemingly untouchable men in blue suits sitting in the comfort of their suites at Lichtenstein Strasse? Well, fresh witties flirting out of Olympia have it that some of the country’s leading rugby clubs are gatvol with the autocratic manner in which local rugby is run and administered by those pulling the purse strings at the Hage Geingob Stadium. A concerned group comprised of nine clubs have written a letter of grievances to the NRU, outlining their unhappiness over certain burning issues within the Namibian rugby fraternity. The aggrieved clubs cite maladministration, tortoise-paced development and the lack of transformation, as well as zero financial support for clubs, despite the union receiving a hefty grant from the International Rugby Board (IRB), as key concerns to the Namibian rugby family. The clubs have unanimously resolved to sever ties with NRU rugby leagues with immediate effect, until such time their grievances are addressed to their satisfaction. I rest my case.
2016-10-07  Staff Report 2

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