Secretary general of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), Franco Cosmos, has written to the leadership of the Namibia Premier Football League (NPFL) and all its affiliates to inform them that there will be no payment of monthly grants to teams for this month until further notice.
In a communiqué dated 31 May 2021, which New Era Sport has seen, Cosmos informed NPFL director Mabos Vries and all the league member clubs that due to government’s new Covid-19 regulations that has forced all contact sports to cease operations, the NFA has taken a decision not to pay monthly grants to the NPFL until football is allowed to resume.
As part of the newly amended Covid-19 regulations, which were announced last Friday by health minister Kalumbi Shangula, it was resolved that all contact sports will cease with immediate effect, and spectators will be reduced from 100 to 50 per event at all non-contact sporting events.
Football, netball, boxing, rugby, hockey, cricket, basketball, volleyball and wrestling are among the affected contact sports. The new Covid-19 regulations came into full effect yesterday and will lapse on 30 June.
“Due to the latest protocols coming into effect from 1 June 2021, football will be inactive until further notice. Please be advised that the June 2021 grants will be disbursed once football is cleared to resume by the ministry of health …monthly grants for the months of April and May 2021 have been disbursed during the month of April 2021. The grants for April were paid on the 16 April 2021 and the grants for May 2021 were paid on 27 April 2021. This was done to enable the members to honour their monthly expenses,” explained Cosmos in his letter.
With no surety if contact sports will be allowed to return after 30 June once the new Covid-19 regulations lapse, it essentially means the clubs will have to fend for themselves during this time, and will possibly be forced to send players on a “no work, no pay” hiatus while they await football to return and possibly start earning their monthly grants again.
-ohembapu@nepc.com.na