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Home / Kauta leads the race for NPL hot seat… As clubs smoke peace pipe
Kauta leads the race for NPL hot seat… As clubs smoke peace pipe
2017-08-14Staff Report 2 Carlos Kambaekwa Windhoek-Following months of uncertainty and speculation over the future of the country’s flagship football league, the Namibia Premiership (NPL) – recent signs are that domestic football could be back on track after some clever lobbying by influential and high-ranking football officials. New Era Sport has been reliably informed that Katutura glamour football club African Stars’ long serving chairman Patrick Kauta, a noted legal practitioner, is the frontrunner for the vacant position of NPL chairman. As it stands, the league was rendered leaderless following the hasty departure of its charismatic chairman, Johnny ‘JJD’ Doeseb. The latter jumped ship before he was pushed in the face of intense pressure to vacate office, amidst the league’s failure to solicit sponsorship to cover the additional N$9 million dollar shortfall for the league to start proceedings for the 2016/2017 Term. Some said Doeseb was made the sacrificial lamb, but his exit left the league in total disarray after those who masterminded his departure resolved to install an interim committee to administer the affairs of the NPL – very much against the spirit of the NFA constitution, which does not make provision for interim committees. And to worsen matters, the country’s football governing body, the Namibia Football Association (NFA), added more fuel to the fire by appointing an ad-hoc committee to run an eye over the internal affairs of the NPL. However, the resolution was met with disdain by the league’s leading football clubs, who form the backbone of the country’s flagship football league. The aggrieved clubs would have none of that and resolved to vigorously challenge the constitutional interpretation and the legality of the composition of such a body. The clubs argued and correctly so, that NFA had no mandate whatsoever to interfere in the internal affairs of an autonomous body (NPL) and stood their ground until the red-faced association reluctantly loosened the grip of its self-imposed authority on the NPL hierarchy. Although there was intense animosity between the league’s heavyweights and the rest of the clubs over the clubs’ refusal to participate in the Debmarine Namibia Cup, it now appears that all affiliates have buried the hatchet in an effort to find common ground – for the good of football. Sources close to the latest developments revealed to New Era Sport that Kauta’s timely intervention and smart lobbying has earned him respect amongst the majority of the clubs. It was further revealed that the majority of clubs want to install Kauta in the NPL key position. Kauta is no newcomer to domestic football, having been literally born into a football crazy family. His old man, Kella, doubled as African Stars head coach, astute scout and team manager all in one during the club’s golden era in the mid-70s. Kauta, the widely renowned legal eagle, almost singlehandedly transformed the Reds from perennial relegation candidates into one of the most feared football clubs in the domestic league. Stars suffered a catastrophic dip in form though with the shock exit of Oscar ‘Silver Fox’ Mengo, who teamed up with the Tjihero brothers, who left Stars in a huff to form Liverpool Football Club upon Namibia’s ascent to democracy in 1990. 2017-08-14Staff Report 2
