Lawyer Loini Shikale-Ambondo has taken charge of the country’s sports appeals committee, replacing fellow prominent lawyer Ruth Herunga, who resigned from the position last week. The committee was installed by sport minister Agnes Tjongarero last year August to help adjudicate local sport disputes.
Herunga, who has since resigned, was then appointed chairperson of the committee along with two other members being veteran sports administrator Donavan Zealand and renowned public policy analyst Marius Kudumo.
The committee, which has a working relationship with the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) and the line ministry, is currently sitting with an appeal from the Namibia Premier League (NPL), which is challenging the NSC’s decision not to grant the league a licence to launch and run a professional football league.
Late last year, the NSC informed the NPL that its application for a licence could not be approved as it does not meet the requirements as per the provisions of the current Sports Act 12 of 2003 (section 26) and therefore recommended that the NPL, which was expelled by the Namibia Football Association (NFA), seek readmission from the NFA as opposed to going private with its league.
The NPL has since filed a notice of appeal with the country’s appeals committee and their appeal is still under review. Shikale-Ambondo, who confirmed her appointment yesterday, said the committee is fully seized with the matter and within the next two coming weeks, a hearing date will be communicated to the concerned parties.
“I was only appointed last week and upon coming on board we got right into the work at hand. The NPL appeal is with us and we are still reviewing it. As said, I only came on board last week, so I also needed a bit of time to acquaint myself with the whole issue and have a better understanding of where we are as a committee. But I can promise you that in the next two coming weeks or so, we will be able to provide a hearing date to the appellants and get rolling with the work. We are working on it,” said Shikale-Ambondo, who is specialised in corporate law as well as regulatory and commercial laws.
In its appeal, the NPL is demanding that the NSC set aside its decision not to approve its application for a licence to run a professional league. The league is also of the opinion that the NSC’s decision was taken at an indecorously constituted meeting and nor was the decision taken by the NSC as there is no reference of a letter confirming a meeting of the NSC at which the decision was taken.
-ohembapu@nepc.com.na