SHOOTING FROM THE HIP There have been endless debates and some sort of soul-searching regarding the slippery-slope journey taken by most of the country’s sporting disciplines. Something has gone seriously wrong with Namibian sport, and it would take a Herculean act to restore the country’s image internationally. Frank Fredericks is long gone from the track but, instead of moving on and trying to unearth another gem in the mould of Fredericks, the country still mourns the inevitable departure of Frank, while the likes of middledistance queen, Agnes Samaria, and veteran runner, Lucketz Swartbooi, are getting a bit long in the tooth. The 8th edition of the All Africa Games to be hosted by Algeria next year is within earshot and, not withstanding the fact that in less than two years, the world’s most prestigious sport event after the FIFA World Cup finals, is the Winter Olympics which will take centre stage in Beijing, China. Gone are the days when it was just a matter of determining the colour of medals whenever Namibian athletes took part at international events. These days, the country’s only medal hopeful to go is in the form of an old toppie by the name of Friedhelm Sack. The veteran shottist has been a regular customer at the podium since the country’s admission to the orld stage but age has certainly caught up with the former DTS defender, while Mannie Heyman’s days of hammering the spokes appear to have been numbered as well. Currently, Namibia’s only medal hopeful is long-distance runner, Hilaria Johannes, but the poor girl needs to be nurtured gradually, because the Sister could be exhausted by the time the All Africa Games and Olympics gets under way in earnest. Sport authorities are always quick to turn down chosen athletes at the eleventh hour on the proviso that they fall far short of qualification times. Fair enough, but what are we doing as custodians to ensure that all aspiring athletes receive the necessary exposure. Law Custodians Are Swimming in Pool of Confusion Can somebody at the National Sport Commission please shed some light on certain worrisome clauses in the Namibian Sport Act of 2003, as a matter of grave concern. Act No. 25 (1) clearly stipulates that a person may not hold office as a Member of the Executive Organ of a National Sport Body or Umbrella Body for a period exceeding ten years on aggregate, while the very same Act also prevents Members of the Executive Organ from serving on more than one National Sport Body or Umbrella Body at the same time. It is clearly evident that some of us have a different interpretation of the Sport Act with regard to rules and amendments. Even those who are supposed to safeguard this precious paper appear to be swimming in a pool of confusion. Same Old Rotten Meat with Different Vultures Each Time And as much as yours truly appreciates the inevitable zippy reaction which zeroed the outcome of the meaningless Namib Premier League Extraordinary, I’m somehow baffled by the manner in which the Independent Electoral Commission went about its business in nullifying the Elections after it had initially given the Congress the thumbs-up as Free and Fair. That’s absolute beef!!! The Independent Electoral Commission’s Terms of Reference are to monitor the process and ensure that procedures are followed and adhered to. Was somebody perhaps dozing, or where has the so-called IEC been when the Congress went ahead with 14 teams instead of the required 12 as stipulated in the statutes, or was it the customary style of assuming the duty of co-pilot while in dire need of a road map to find one’s way to the cockpit of the flying bird. One can have piles of evidence but, when the system is flawed from take- off, the entire exercise is bound to collapse as long as affiliates remain ignorant of simple procedures such as the line of authority. The Independent Electoral Commission was part and parcel of proceedings at the Extraordinary Congress and the author found it extremely disturbing that the top hierarchy allowed the very same people to deal with the appeal by the four teams. In my opinion, the Appeal should never have been lodged with IEC but with the National Sport Commission via the Namibian Football Association, because the IEC was never mandated to deal with Appeals – that’s the bottom line. Yours truly is in possession of a communiquÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚© by the NFA Acting-President to the IEC where the brother requested his subordinates (IEC) to verify the validity of the Elections at the ill-fated Extraordinary Congress, whilst no clarity on the matter was sought from his office. It should be well remembered that National Elections are within shouting distance, and those desperately queuing for top positions within football structures would stop at nothing to boost their own egos. Come Off the Jiggery-Pokery and Show Us the Real Stuff I’m really getting gatvol of being fed with the jiggery-pokery witties from every Joe claiming to have great passion for the game in a desperate bid to make us believe their Johnny-Come-Lately presence in football is merely a result of their love for the game but, alas, some of these palookas never chased leather in their Kamashona days. Football should be administered by people who genuinely love the game and not by pretenders, and if those who claim to be serious about the welfare of the game, why not rope in the likes of Oscar Mengo, Steve Stephanus and Sadike Gottlieb, amongst others, to run for the Real McCoy (NFA Presidency) instead of handing them cameo roles. Heita outies, it’s jibbos to call it quits since I dearly need to refill – so until next Friday, it’s ADIOS !!