It is simply unacceptable for the Wanderers bosses to deny their players going into the match citing security reasons.

What security reasons? The fact that there was a fight between national team assistant coach Johan Diergaardt and Wanderers player JM Meyer last month does not warrant the game to be shelved for good.

Although Wanderers will forfeit the points, I think it is unfair towards the players who could have gone into the game and played for a win.

The fights of the bosses now seem to affect the players who spend hours on the training fields to turn out for their teams each weekend.

How many times have Suburbs and other clubs played at the Wanderers Sport Fields with the crowd against them? That also goes for teams such as Reho Falcon, Rehoboth Jaguars even United and Grootfontein.

In rugby, each team expects to win on home turf.

And I think Suburbs were looking forward to this game, judging from their third position on the log and it could have been good for their players and the opposition to be active this weekend, not taking a break with a tough season lying ahead.

The question is, what gives Wanderers so much certainty that they will be victimised by the Suburbs players or supporters when they play at Suburbs Park in Khomasdal? I personally think Wanderers are discriminating against the fundamental aspect of sportsmanship and also disregard the authority of the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU), despite the fact that they can forfeit three matches a season.

In normal circumstances, they could have asked for the game to be called off if they had no players available (maybe because of national duty) or related player problems such as injuries.

But with a team ready to play and no international obligations this weekend, it was very lame for the Wanderers management to put through a request to the NRU for points to be forfeited.

And who says they will not be victimised at the neutral venue that they sought from the union? Well, it is now too late and the NRU has granted the wish of Wanderers not to play and give up the points.

But authorities in charge at clubs should remember that players themselves do not have bad feelings among each other and simply want to play and get those points.

I know of most of the players from Wanderers and Suburbs who are teammates on national level and some are even friends who hang out together.

Why would they assault each other and what victimisation? Also, the NRU has an extremely lax rule allowing teams to forfeit matches at will.

In football, for example, this is a punishable offence and teams are fined heavily for not honouring their matches.

That is the reason why they are in an organised league.

The rule should be reviewed, as it appears that clubs will use it at their own peril in future.

Providing no reasons for calling off the match is also uncalled for.

The NRU should insist on valid reasons and those need to be justified on fact and not on presumptions.

Suburbs can take the points now, but what happens in the future, will the NRU then find an alternative venue or will Wanderers not go to Suburbs Park ever again? The NRU has a role to mediate and it is still not too late to call the two parties together and make them understand that feuds between clubs will not be tolerated.

League matches are there to be honoured by clubs and it is the right of the fans to go and see their players in action because they pay the gate fees.

The NRU should draw a line and show that they are in charge and what they say goes.

Columns Of The Last 48 Hours

•  Let Us Heed the Voices of Sanity
•  Political Perspective
•  Andimba Ya Toivo's Political Morality: A Weapon To Transcend The Logic Of Cruelty
•  Rural Water Supply Reform: Success Story And Poverty Trap
•  From the Sidelines: Time for change