The merry-go-round shenanigans dominating our football structures are being taken to another level, so to speak.
For starters, yours truly is very happy that the southern region is finally represented in the country’s topflight football league, the MTC Premiership after many years. Surely, the south has over the years produced some of the finest footballers to have ever come from our shores.
The likes of Jonathan Tieb Goliath, Steve “Kalamazoo” Stephanus, Samuel Bantam, Dokes and Sebastian Hange, Ambrossius Vyff, Killer Kamberipa, Norries Goraseb, Lucky and Paultjie Boostander, Mary Gariseb, Alu and Foenie Hummel, Masepo Dausab, Barnes Jansen, Doc Jossob, Willy Swartbooi and many others were all proud products of the south.
The author has very a soft spot for southern football, having turned out for the exciting youthful Tseiblaagte outfit Young Beauty Chiefs FC during my musical escapades in Kitmaro, back in the day.
And while most of us welcome the entrance of Karasburg outfit Young Brazilians to topflight football, yours truly was surprised to see the condition of the he entrants’ deplorable home ground. I remember when growing up in Katutura, it was the dream of each and every aspiring footballer to set foot on the grass turf of the old Katutura stadium ‘Okahozu’.
In those days, one would be labeled a ‘moegoe’ if you had not played on the grass field – someone in dire need of refinement in football terms.
Those who started in their respective teams’ second strings had to be content playing on the adjacent gravel field, very eager to make the grade to be ultimately graded to the first team in order to have the feel of and smell of grass.
Great personalities such as General Angala, Pierre Janeiro, Ipangena “Spagherro” Shikwambi, aka Spa and Kandas Paulino all honed their football skills on that gravel field during their formative years in the game.
It should be a prerequisite for all teams campaigning in the country’s elite league to have a decent playing field. Playing football on a gravel field in this age and era is a step backwards. And as much as yours truly has sympathy with the football-crazy Karasburg community – rules are rules and those entrusted to guard them should be consistent with the application of rules and regulations governing the game of football.
Not so long ago, the very same NPL hierarchy ordered Rundu Chiefs to stage their home league matches in Grootfontein - almost 270 kilometres away for their home base because their home ground was deemed unfit for topflight football.
It’s incumbent upon local authorities and regional councils to erect recreational facilities in their area of jurisdiction but the league has a moral duty to protect the beautiful game of football – but alas, playing topflight football on a gravel field makes us the laughing stock of global football and the league must reconsider its decision to have matches staged in Karasburg or find an alternative to arrest this worrisome unfolding scenario.
In view of the above, yours truly humbly appeals to the league authorities to re-think their decision and look at potential sponsors for the layout of an artificial turf without further delay.
I rest my case.