WINDHOEK – MTC, the principal bankroller of the beleaguered Namibia Premier League (NPL), has given the league 14 days to amicably resolve the ongoing standoff with the Fifa Normalisation Committee for the Namibia Football Association (NFA), failure of which will force MTC to reconsider its sponsorship position.
In a letter dated Monday, 7 October 2019, which New Era Sport has also seen, MTC wrote to NPL chief executive officer Harald Fuelle and copied members of the Normalisation Committee as well as members of the NPL Board of Governors (BoG), wherein it once again strongly expressed its growing concern with the deprecating state of Namibian football and that of the NPL in particular. 

Last week MTC wrote to both the NPL leadership and the Normalisation Committee demanding clarity on the way forward for local football and also warned that the ongoing dogfight has the potential to cause reputational damage to the brand and marque of MTC as main sponsor of the country’s topflight league.

Monday’s letter follows hot on the heels of NPL’s suspension by the Normalisation Committee. The NPL was last week suspended for bringing football into disrepute and for persistently and continuously disregarding and violating NFA directives. 

The NPL’s suspension will remain intact until the next NFA Congress, or unless the NPL leadership complies with all NFA directives, which could possibly see the suspension being lifted.

With the NPL and all its affiliates currently under suspension and with no clear indications on the way forward from the league’s headship, MTC has since been in pursuit of clarity and a clear standpoint as far as its multimillion dollar sponsorship of football is concerned.

“As stated in our letter, we have also written to the Fifa Normalisation Committee and they have also replied to our letter. Subsequently, we have taken note of the NPL’s suspension by the Normalisation Committee, which is indeed worrisome. Given these developments, and the negative brand reputation concerns we highlighted in our previous correspondence, MTC hereby gives the NPL fourteen (14) days to amicably resolve this standoff between itself and the Normalisation Committee on all matters that are prohibiting the commencement of the league season, failure which MTC will reconsider its sponsorship and communicate such to the NPL,” reads Monday’s letter, which was signed off by MTC’s chief human capital and corporate affairs officer Tim Ekandjo.

MTC further amplified its seriousness by reminding the NPL that the 14-day ultimatum will end at midnight on the 21st October 2019. 

Contacted for comment yesterday, Fuelle confirmed that the league received such a letter from MTC but maintained that the NPL will not at this point in time comment on the issue or any other related issue until they have met with the Normalisation Committee.

“We are waiting to meet with the Normalisation Committee and until then, the NPL will not comment nor pronounce itself on anything, including the MTC letter. I’m really sorry, but I can’t say much on that issue that at this point,’ briefly said Fuelle.