WINDHOEK – Following the Fifa/NFA Normalisation Committee’s call for the Namibia Premier League (NPL) to reinstate demoted club Young African FC back into the league with effect until the NFA Appeals Committee has taken a decision on the club’s future, the league has responded to the committee with a big NO!.

Responding to the Normalisation Committee’s communique dated 18 April 2019, NPL chief executive officer Harald Fulle yesterday wrote back to the committee’s vice-chairperson Franco Cosmos informing him that the NPL has no obligation  whatsoever to heed the Normalisation Committee’s call to reinstate African, adding that Article 55 (1) and Article 59 (2) of the league’s rules and regulations provides enough guidance as to how the matter should be handled.

“On 6 March 2019, you wrote a letter in parallel terms to the legal practitioners of Young African in support of their application in court. We disregarded it and dealt with the matter in court. You write these letters even though you are still chairperson of the NPL Legal Committee. And you nevertheless write on behalf of the Normalisation Committee even though two members thereon serve on the NPL Disciplinary Committee (DC). We highlighted the above to alert you that you have compromised yourself and now threaten to do the same with the Normalisation Committee,” reads Fulle’s letter.

He further shot back at Cosmos, saying: “In any event, there is no substance or merit in your letter. We take no issue with Article 53 and Article 54 on which you rely on. However, we find it strange that you failed to engage the provisions of Article 55 (1) and Article 59 (2) at all in your letter. We draw your attention to Article 55 (1) and inform you that Young African was notified of the DC decision on 5 December 2018. With that fact in mind, there is no appeal pending. Even if you strain your misconceived but hopeless contention, which we deny, Article 59 (2) serves as clear impediment to your nonexistent common law. Lastly, kindly but urgently inform us where you or the Normalisation Committee derives the powers to instruct the NPL?”