The profoundly puke-inducing reaction by some quarters amongst the self-styled football pundits to MTC’s Tim Ekandjo’s recent remarks leaves a lot to be desired. Their reaction has obliged yours truly to weigh in on these seemingly unending shenanigans bedevilling our prime asset – football.
Obviously, people are entitled to their own opinions, and I must admit that Ekandjo’s strong stance enticed some thick-skulled blokes to overlook the statistical reality of the ongoing squabbles at our Football House, and rather chose to go on the offensive.
Some even went as far as questioning whether Tim was speaking on behalf of MTC, which has been football’s principal sponsor over the last couple of years, or whether he made the hard-hitting remarks in his personal capacity.
HELLO! The brother was on the platform representing MTC, which simply means each and every single word uttered through his lips was in all likelihood representative of MTC.
Any reputable corporate entity spending such large amounts of money cannot be expected to sit with arms folded, pretending as if things are normal. Even a blind man can feel our football has embarked upon a self-inflicted slippery-slope journey.
Regrettably, those at the helm of our most-prized asset have developed a nasty habit of entitlement, punctuated by misplaced immunity to criticism and accountability. It should be noted that the Namibia Football Association (NFA) is a public institution, and will always be open for public scrutiny.
It looks like Tim’s brutal assessment of the unfortunate quagmire in which our football is entangled has ruffled feathers, and does not exactly sit well with those at the centre of this unfolding unpleasant episode.
Without a shadow of doubt, the attacks on Tim are a clear attempt to introduce red herrings in what can be interpreted, and rightly so, as a desperate attempt to divert attention away from the real problems that led to the current debacle in our football structures.
Yours truly is damn sure many of you would scorn to own me in a lie if I dare say it out loud that those having an issue with Tim’s remarks would have turned a deaf ear if they were directed in the opposite direction.
What’s so difficult for all parties to sit around the table, iron out your differences, bury the hatchet, and find common ground for the sake of national progress? Football dynamics are changing rapidly; we can’t continue to run the game in the same amateurish way. Football is no longer a by-product; it has become a lucrative industry.
Before I sign off, let me quickly borrow a phrase from former USA President Barack Obama, who once said: “If you have to win a campaign by dividing people, you are not going to be able to govern them. You won’t be able to unite them later”. Do those words ring a bell?
I rest my case.