Namibia FA stands firm against 'rebel' takeover

By: CORRY IHUHUA

THE current leadership of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) on Friday refused to give in to the demands of what it called "a rebel group that aims to disrupt football in the country", after they threatened to take over Soccer House.

The group, which is headed by Hendrik Dawids and former Namibia

Premier League (NPL) chairman Anton van Wyk, failed to take charge

of the office on Friday.

Their demands that the promotion playoffs in the two first

divisions be cancelled also fell on deaf ears.

 

The so-called 'interim committee' served the current NFA

leadership under acting president John Muinjo with a legal notice

on Thursday, stating that the executive committee was operating

illegally and that the interim committee was the legitimate exco

after an extraordinary congress that it held on June 3.

 

Fifa does not permit football problems to go the legal route,

but insists that all the structures of resolving a conflict be

utilised.

 

Despite that, the interim committee members were snubbed by the

current NFA secretary general Alpheus Gaweseb on Friday when they

demanded the keys to Soccer House as well as the association's

cheque book.

 

Gaweseb said he had no intentions to cooperate with the rebel

group, which was disobeying directives from Fifa that elections in

all NFA structures be held before October 31.

 

A Fifa investigation into the NFA leadership crisis concluded

about a week ago and advised that the football mother body call

fresh elections in all its structures.

 

But the interim committee has defied that, arguing that they had

given the NFA ample time to resolve some of the pertinent issues in

football, specifically with regard to its leadership and several

other grievances.

 

Muinjo maintained at the weekend that the NFA would work in

accordance with the roadmap laid down by Fifa that elections be

called before October 31 and emphasised that the leadership under

him was still in charge.

 

The NFA at the weekend said the promotion playoffs in the

Northern and Southern Stream First Divisions would proceed as

planned.

 

The matches were all played over the weekend at Tsumeb and

Mariental, officials confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday.

 

The interim committee held an impromptu press briefing on Friday

at which they accused Fifa of not giving a clear response on the

extraordinary congress held on June 3.

 

The interim committee wanted Fifa to recognise the June 3

extraordinary congress as legitimate, but Fifa did not address that

point.

 

The interim committee called the extraordinary congress after

Judge President Petrus Damaseb stepped down as NFA president in an

attempt to find new executive members, but their bid failed, as the

elected members did not attend.

 

Fifa development officer Ashford Mamelodi, who was sent by the

world football governing body to investigate the state of football

in the country, is set to return to Namibia on August 8.

 

He is expected to thwart the attempts of the interim committee

to cause further turmoil in the game, while the holding of

elections would be a priority.

 

Their demands that the promotion playoffs in the two first

divisions be cancelled also fell on deaf ears.The so-called

'interim committee' served the current NFA leadership under acting

president John Muinjo with a legal notice on Thursday, stating that

the executive committee was operating illegally and that the

interim committee was the legitimate exco after an extraordinary

congress that it held on June 3.Fifa does not permit football

problems to go the legal route, but insists that all the structures

of resolving a conflict be utilised.Despite that, the interim

committee members were snubbed by the current NFA secretary general

Alpheus Gaweseb on Friday when they demanded the keys to Soccer

House as well as the association's cheque book.Gaweseb said he had

no intentions to cooperate with the rebel group, which was

disobeying directives from Fifa that elections in all NFA

structures be held before October 31.A Fifa investigation into the

NFA leadership crisis concluded about a week ago and advised that

the football mother body call fresh elections in all its

structures.But the interim committee has defied that, arguing that

they had given the NFA ample time to resolve some of the pertinent

issues in football, specifically with regard to its leadership and

several other grievances.Muinjo maintained at the weekend that the

NFA would work in accordance with the roadmap laid down by Fifa

that elections be called before October 31 and emphasised that the

leadership under him was still in charge.The NFA at the weekend

said the promotion playoffs in the Northern and Southern Stream

First Divisions would proceed as planned.The matches were all

played over the weekend at Tsumeb and Mariental, officials

confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday.The interim committee

held an impromptu press briefing on Friday at which they accused

Fifa of not giving a clear response on the extraordinary congress

held on June 3.The interim committee wanted Fifa to recognise the

June 3 extraordinary congress as legitimate, but Fifa did not

address that point.The interim committee called the extraordinary

congress after Judge President Petrus Damaseb stepped down as NFA

president in an attempt to find new executive members, but their

bid failed, as the elected members did not attend.Fifa development

officer Ashford Mamelodi, who was sent by the world football

governing body to investigate the state of football in the country,

is set to return to Namibia on August 8.He is expected to thwart

the attempts of the interim committee to cause further turmoil in

the game, while the holding of elections would be a priority.

---