2017-06-09Staff Report 2 The seemingly unending “Boswell Wilkie Circus” under way in the corridors of domestic football is becoming a serious joke with actors that were once considered the best of bedfellows now at each other’s throats, accusing one another of betrayal. Football calendars all over the world have come full circle, with many teams now putting plans in place and preparing for pre-season training and camps ahead of the 2017/2018 football term. Our football authorities, on the other hand, are engaged in unnecessary verbal spats over petty issues fuelled by unbelievably inflated egos. What puzzles the mind is that the country’s sports governing umbrella body, the National Sports Commission (NSC), has resolved to sit on the fence with arms folded while this ugly scene - which could trigger far-reaching ramifications - is unfolding before their very eyes. I call upon the National Sports Commission to roll their sleeves and step in if we are to stop these shenanigans. Will I be crucified if I conclude that the esteemed Commission feels gravely embarrassed that it may have erred big time by ruling in favour of a defendant without allowing the complainant the required platform to advance their heads of argument? I’m just wondering. As fallible human beings, we are all bound to commit errors and make mistakes along the way; it’s part and parcel of the learning process and how human make progress. But did I hear the aggrieved clubs advocating for the immediate dissolution of the country’s flagship football league, the Namibia Premiership (NPL). This request is indeed a bizarre act in football terms. Namibia is after all a sovereign country, administered strictly on sound principals of democracy and rule of law. It’s against this background that I would advise those clubs demanding that the league be dissolved to form their own rebel league and recruit new members – if they so wish. You cannot request that democratically existing structures be dissolved, just because you are unhappy with the way things are done. Lest we forget, the NPL was called into life as the country’s elite football league, with the traditional leading local football clubs carefully chosen to participate in league activities on a voluntary basis. Only a fool would argue that the aggrieved six clubs’ departure from the NPL would leave a dent in the structure of domestic football. Without an iota of doubt and no offense intended to great clubs, such as Life Fighters, Eleven Arrows, Tura Magic and Civics, but those clubs form the core of domestic football and are the heart and soul of the local game for many football followers in the country – that’s the naked reality. This brings us to the thorny question: what is Namibian football without the Katutura big four? On the flip side of the coin, it’s clearly not going to be all smooth sailing for the would-be defectors. For starters, FIFA will not recognise a breakaway league and - worse still - players on the books of teams campaigning in such breakaway league would not be considered for national team selection. Secondly, should these players receive tempting offers to test their skills beyond Namibia’s borders, they would have to produce an International Transfer Clearance (ITC) from the country’s legitimate football controlling body, the NFA. So, where does that leave us? I’m just asking. In the spirit of unity and forgiveness, my simple advice to my learned colleague, NFA president Herr Frans Mbidi, is to swallow your pride; take a long breath; look yourself in the mirror and adopt a more diplomatic and neutral approach, as the designated head of the house on fire. Sit these hotheads down and find a solution. Footballers are suffering, just because of adults driven by personal interests pushing their own unknown far-fetched agendas. That is why we have become the laughing stock of the football world. Enough is enough! I rest my case. 2017-06-09Staff Report 2
