DECEMBER 2000 SPORT HEADLINES

Thursday, January 18, 2001 - Web posted at 9:46:22 AM GMT

Far North play-offs null and void
HELGE SCHUTZ

LAST month's play-offs to decide the winner of the Far North zonal first division have been declared null and void by the Namibia Football Association and will be replayed between Benfica and Touch & Go over the next two weekends.

K K Palace of Ondangwa won the Far North mini-league play-offs last month, but their hopes of being automatically promoted to the Windhoek Lager Premier League have been dashed because the play-offs were based on the wrong format.

The Far North league was subdivided into two groups, with the two winners, Benfica and Touch & Go, as well as the runners-up, K K Palace and Global Warriors competing in last month's play-off.

K K Palace eventually won the play-offs after they beat Touch & Go and drew against Benfica.

Benfica however lodged a protest against the format of the play-offs with the NFA, which investigated the issue and came to the conclusion that several irregularities took place in the play-offs.

The NFA's Barry Rukoro said that the play-offs were decided on the wrong format, since they had to be decided on a knock-out and not a mini-league basis and because the teams from the same subdivisions did not have to play each other again.

Furthermore, he said, only the winners, and not the second-placed teams of the sub-divisions needed to play out to determine which team will be promoted automatically to the Premier League and which team will be involved in the promotion-relegation play-offs.

Benfica and Touch & Go, the winners of last season's Far North sub-divisions will now play-off on a home and away basis this coming weekend.

On Saturday, January 20 they meet in the first leg in Otavi at 10h00, while the return leg takes place in Tsumeb at the same time on Sunday, January 21.

The national promotion/relegation play-offs for all the divisions are scheduled to take place in Windhoek on Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28.

Meanwhile, the Brave Warriors' practice match against a Karas invitation team, which was scheduled to take place at the Mariental Stadium on Sunday, January 21, will now take place at the Khomasdal Stadium in Windhoek on the same date, starting at 15h00.

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