As a microcosm of life, sport and football in particular, inevitably contains its own moral conundrums where rules and regulations are constantly shifted in the effort to frame something, which more closely corresponds to what feels right and just.
Nonetheless, there are issues where there’s no certainty – thus driving us to be entangled in a moral maze. Once the depth of and essential bond of trust between clubs and football controlling body that represents the clubs is broken, it becomes guesswork.
Now, can somebody please be so kind and come clean and explain what lies behind this nauseating debate about the promotion of teams to the country’s flagship football league, the MTC Premiership?
Whilst the rules and regulations on promotion and relegation are crystal clear like daylight – football followers and some self-styled pundits were left to wonder whether there is some kind of systematic maneuverings or just a mere misunderstanding let alone a different interpretation of rules governing this particular aspect.
The sudden takeover of former military school football team by a consortium of residents from the garden town (Okahandja) spearheaded by the town’s influential Mayor and Brave Warriors great Jakkals Hindjou, calls for scrutiny, so to speak.
This sudden change of ownership must be thoroughly investigated because there is more than meets the eye in this hastily arranged change of ownership – just because questions were raised about the eligibility of the club’s promotion to the elite football league.
The rules states that there should be no two teams competing in the same league owned or funded by the same entity – in this case, the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) since the latter is also having another team campaigning in the Premier league in the shape of Mighty Gunners. Logic suggests Northern representatives African Motto FC as runner up should be heir to the crown technically vacated by the Military School team.
Yours truly also finds it silly that the NFA Directorate claims to have the sole mandate or prerogative to prescribe as to who should be promoted over the head of North Western Division One League hierarchy, that’s autocracy of the highest order.
It goes beyond any comprehension as to why the Military School team was allowed to engage in promotional play offs in the first place knowing very well that they would not be promoted.
The men in camouflaged uniform should never have been allowed to contest promotion because of their status, which rendered that contest a match of convenience, simple as that.
As a result, the Military team becomes an alien in the structures of the NPL and one cannot sell an illegal franchise since they are not part of the NPL family.
Being a proud product of the garden town, yours truly would welcome a representative team in the country’s flagship league and whilst applauding my homeboy Jakkals for trying his level best to put the town on the national football ladder, I’m afraid this is exactly what happens when corners are cut. I rest my case