The devil is in the detail here! The decision taken by the Namibian football authorities to nail local referee Ananias Kangandi, for an alleged attempt of match fixing amounts to nothing but pure witch-hunt, a scenario of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
How on bloody earth was Kangandi, in his mere capacity of match commissioner, could have influenced or manipulate the result of the African Stars/Orlando Pirates abbreviated match with the scoreboard reading 2-0 in favour of Pirates going into the remaining eight minutes?
Why target Kangandi while crystal clear evidence presents itself as to who the real culprits are behind the plot to manipulate the result of the said match?
Generally speaking, where do we draw the lines here? Kangandi is just a small fish in the pond and although questions need to be asked about his awkward approach for a soft loan from Kandas Paulino (Black Africa official) – his approach might have been genuine and he should not be the centre of the investigation. In all honesty, yours truly is damn sure many of you will scorn to own me in a lie if I conclude the brother has been cited as a soft target.
We should not allow personal bias to soften the edges of moral outrage and in the process blur the lines of correct conduct. Match fixing and results manipulation is nothing new to domestic football – we are all fully aware of a leading football club that almost lost its premiership status a couple of years ago.
After falling two goals behind in a crucial tie, the team staged an unbelievable comeback to win the match 4-2 after some behind the curtain discussions between club officials. If anything, the recent final results in the premiership home straight need to be thoroughly investigated and get to the bottom as to how they were manufactured.
Ode to the Biltongboere
So, Namibia has for the umpteenth time qualified for the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Cup despite all the odds staked against them.
It’s about time to call spade a spade and not a large spoon. Rugby has for many years been regarded as the stepsons of Namibian sports for some strange reasons, probably because those at the helm of the oval ball administration are not exactly considered to be the genuine implementers of this sacred game supposedly preserved for the few elites in our neck of the woods.
Let us throw our weight together and put our shoulders to the wheel and assist the team to prepare adequately for the global showpiece.
In the past, Namibia has always been the whipping boys of the global showpiece with the exception of their heroics in the 2007 edition in France where our boys acquitted themselves well under trying circumstances. It’s time now for us to go out there and compete fiercely, but such will remain a pipe dream in the absence of proper preparation.
Yours truly would like to urge all stakeholders ranging from government, business entities and all patriotic Namibians to pull in the same direction if we are to make sure our boys leave a long lasting mark in England – come next year.
Football double standards
Did I hear world football governing body, FIFA, banning the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) from all football related activities in the aftermath of government intervention that led to the dissolving of the entire football management and staff?
Football authorities must get their ducks in a row and become real. When they need financial assistance, they are very quick to approach governments for help but should the very same government ask for accountability – then it is labeled interfering.
The very same FIFA would not approve associations to host major events if a government does not give its guarantee for potential losses that might occur during the competition.
Words have meanings and to use them as if they don’t, could lead to ambiguity.
Intervention and interference are two words that travel in tandem and governments are obliged to keep their subjects accountable. I rest my case.