Carlos Kambaekwa
Windhoek
The well-kept secret that Cricket Namibia (CN) and its Chief Executive Officer, Donovan Zealand, were no longer on good terms has finally become a reality.
New Era Sports has been reliably informed that Zealand, who joined the embattled union almost two years ago, has resolved to jump ship before he was pushed.
Trouble has been brewing in the corridors of CN for some time now, with serious accusations of maltreatment of cricketers of colour accompanied by preferential treatment of white cricketers.
Insiders revealed to this publication that those who control the purse strings of Cricket Namibia have made it their sole beat to run the union as if it was their personal business empire.
The union stands accused of deliberately dragging its feet when it comes to the much-debated issue of transformation concerning cricketers of colour and the union’s camouflaged development programmes.
Just a few years ago, CN principal sponsor MTC pulled the plug on the embattled union after CN failed to subscribe to strict quota conditions set by MTC following widespread reports of discrimination towards cricketers of colour when it comes to team selection at all forms of cricket.
In the meantime, long-serving cricket administrator Laurie Pieters has been installed as acting CEO of Cricket Namibia.
However, those with intimate knowledge of the inner circles at CN opine that the old hand has been long touted to resurface in the structures of CN, despite his well-documented frosty relationship with some officials within the annals of domestic cricket.
Contacted for comment late yesterday, Zealand did confirm his departure from CN, saying he did not actually resign but his contract came to an end. He was, however, hesitant to indulge further into details, insisting: “Please just call me tomorrow (today), I can’t say much at the moment. Just call me tomorrow.”