New Era Newspaper

New Era Epaper
Icon Collap
...
Home / NPL to open case against Haikali’s ‘henchmen’…minister trying to mediate

NPL to open case against Haikali’s ‘henchmen’…minister trying to mediate

2020-05-06  Otniel Hembapu

NPL to open case against Haikali’s ‘henchmen’…minister trying to mediate

In a statement issued Sunday, the executive committee of the Namibia Premier League (NPL) accused the leadership of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) of not being genuine in their quest to resolve the ongoing impasse between the two entities.

The statement stems from a meeting between the NPL, NFA and the sport ministry on 22 April, where the portfolio minister Agnes Tjongarero and her team of senior officials sought to play the role of mediator between the two rival football organisations.
Although New Era Sport had earlier established that no information from meetings between the ministry and both the NFA and NPL would be made public nor be shared with the media, the league Sunday, however, went ahead and released a presser wherein they accused NFA president Ranga Haikali and his team of not having the best interest of football at heart because of his refusal or reluctance to accept the minister’s proposals advanced to both entities during the 22 April meeting.

According to the NPL’s statement, the ministry deposited five key solutions for both parties to consider if the prevailing skirmish between the NPL and NFA is to be resolved. 

The first proposal was that the NFA undertakes to lift the suspension of the NPL and second was that the NPL must withdraw the case/s which are currently lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. The third proposal was that the NFA directive of no promotion/relegation for the season ended 2018/19 be revisited. 

The fourth proposal by the minister was that the First Divisions resume their season immediately after the lockdown, as that will enable the NPL to commence their activities in October/November 2020, and the last suggestion was that NFA directive that no football commence before August 2020 be revisited.

The league said it principally agreed to all proposals as tabled by the minister at the said meeting, but pointed out that they will only agree to withdraw all cases with CAS on condition that “the NFA agrees to all proposed recommendations”. The NPL chairman, Patrick Kauta, equally committed to withdraw his case challenging the legitimacy of the candidature and presidency of Haikali, contrary to Article 34 of NFA Statutes, on the above condition.”

“The NFA approached the meeting of 22 April without any intention to find resolution. In its customary manner, the NFA went on a media campaign prior to this meeting. The NFA asked a regional affiliate and sympathisers to write letters of discontent to the minister and leaked the letters through social media and the press in an attempt to control its false narrative. After the meeting, Haikali has been on a frolic of his own to spread falsehood about the meeting. He has further used his dual position to cause financial hardship to the NPL in that the NFA sees it fit to contact NPL sponsors to negatively influence them,” claimed the NPL.

Further in the statement, the league claimed that “Haikali has surrounded himself with henchmen who initially masqueraded as his campaign managers. He has gone on to appoint as acting secretary general the former vice chairperson of NC, who vetted his candidature despite him not having been an employee of NFA previously. In turn, his henchmen have made it their calling to oust the NPL executive. Recently, the conspiracy to oust the NPL executive was revealed in a WhatsApp message. The threats to kill or cause physical harm to NPL executive members are also contained in WhatsApp audios and messages. The NPL executive is not going to be intimidated by unlawful conduct and has forwarded all the evidence to the Namibian Police and will press charges of conspiracy to kill against the henchmen today.

Responding to the league’s allegations yesterday, Haikali said “Becoming personal and making unsubstantiated statements will not help to find a solution but rather further bring the game of football into disrepute. I rest my case but hope that those that are being fed with false information can open their eyes to realise that the NPL executive is acting in bad faith and becoming personal. We still remain open to discussions that are constructive, but we will defend the NFA in any court including CAS and we will not allow the game of football to consistently be brought into disrepute…Well, it’s true that the NPL made such undertaking [to withdraw cases]. What I can add is that the NPL lied to all parties present that they will withdraw the cases and even as we speak today those cases are not withdrawn. The NPL said they have already paid the money and that is not true. Please ask Patrick Kauta to share the letter written by their lawyers addressed to CAS which is contrary to the lies.”
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na
 


2020-05-06  Otniel Hembapu

Tags: Khomas
Share on social media