This week, Fifa again attempted to assist Namibian football by appointing another normalisation committee.
Previous attempts to reorganise the code and normalise competent administration fell well short. Fifa’s previous normalisation committee missed a sitter.
Namibians are bored and frustrated by the never-ending circus of court cases, legal letters, accusations which eventually crippled football in the last four years.
There has not been a competitive league in this country for years, national teams are in disarray and the country cannot host international games as the facilities have not been upgraded to international standards. In fact, facilities have deteriorated over the last few years.
But Namibian football’s problems are profound and have not been addressed sufficiently for decades. Clubs have questionable ownership models, are poorly managed, don’t resonate with fans and have failed to professionalise their structures. What do you expect from leagues if the clubs are in such a dire state?
These clubs and leagues run the code and elect the incompetent people at Soccer House who appoint their incompetent friends and girlfriends to crucial positions.
Namibian football has left sponsors disgruntled and frustrated and largely failed to attract fans to the stadia.
The solutions will not come overnight.
The mandate of the normalisation committee will expire on 30 April 2023
at the latest.
The new normalisation committee is chaired by Namibia Airports Company CEO Bisey Uirab, financial consultant and planner Afra Schimming-Chase (deputy chairwoman), chartered accountant Willy Mertens, businesswoman/lawyer Esmeralda Muhinatjo Katjaerua, and planning expert Diina Shituula.
In a letter dated 30 March 2022, Fifa revealed an ensemble of eminent Namibians from business and law, tasked to run the daily affairs of the NFA; restructure NFA administration; review NFA statutes and electoral code to ensure their compliance with Fifa statutes and requirements, and to ensure their adoption by the NFA congress and to act as an electoral committee to organise and conduct elections of a new NFA executive committee based on the newly aligned NFA statutes and electoral code; ensure a proper financial handover to the new NFA executive committee.
Every football-loving Namibian wishes the committee well but they should not be surprised if they are not greeted with universal acceptance and applause.
We have been here before. It didn’t work. The previous money-grubbing incompetent regime was replaced by another money-grubbing incompetent regime... ushered in by Fifa.
Trying to unravel the filthy web spun by the actors involved in this mess will be a colossal waste of time.
The committee should simply start from scratch. Hopefully, they’ll steer clear of anyone who has been involved in football in the last 32 years to advise or manage anything to do with football in future, including the current cabal at Soccer House.
They had a shot. They missed their chance.
Good luck!