Coaches must take the flak

THIS week I was called by the chief executive officer of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), Barry Rukoro, to his office, to apparently reach ‘consensus’ on how to positively and responsibly write about the game in the country, especially the national team.

This meeting was called to sensitise me to the dangers that my reporting pose to the performance of the team because it is perceived as negative, especially when we lose.Rukoro reminded me that as much as I am a Namibian, it would be appropriate if I could see things in a positive way and report constructively in future, but also pointed out that I should strive for objectivity at all times.He however acknowledged that there was nothing wrong with criticising the football authorities to correct things, but at the same time, said it is not fair for me to always tear them apart at every opportunity I get. Agreed.Now, the controversy surrounds the recent poor performance of the Brave Warriors against Swaziland, which in the eyes of many was not satisfactory.Drawing at home with all your top internationals is absolutely not a good result and there is nothing that needs to be defended in that regard.All other media have lambasted the poor display of the Warriors especially in the second half and also gave praise to individual players who did well on the day.Now, the Brave Warriors head coach Tom Saintfiet, who was also present at this meeting, argued that my reports are extremely negative when it comes to the national teams. In fact, he claims that I make no mention of him for his hard work in any of my reports and that the players get all the credit.Worldwide, coaches get the praise based on their successful stints with the teams and in this case, I think he has done a relatively good job.But if a certain system he is using is not right, it needs to be pointed out that is either useless or pathetic and needs to be changed. We know that each coach has the prerogative of implementing his own system and style of play and we respect that, but if it is not bringing the results, than it needs to be questioned and the coach in question has to justify why that is the best system to use.Saintfiet has time and again defended his system and we respected that, but at some instances it did not work and unfortunately that could not go unchallenged.Also, premiership team coaches have time and again come under fire for using wrong tactics and using players in wrong positions and they managed to prove the critics wrong by improving on it.The Brave Warriors is a national team and we as journalists have a duty to reflect and point out the wrongs and positives that are expressed by the public and at the same time, we are entitled to our own opinions in columns such as these.If a coach has failed to deliver, he or she should not cry foul for being blasted by the media. That’s part of the job and should take the flak because there is no else to cover for that, unfortunately.The coaches in the premiership are also not immune to criticism and they too have faced the wrath of the media and will continue to face it. Bottom line is, if a coach cannot stand the heat – get out of the kitchen, because the world of football is cruel to coaches especially if one does not bring in the desired results.In football, players get the praise when the team wins but the coach has to take the blame when the same team loses. That’s the reality of the situation.For all the coaches out there (national teams, premier league or junior teams) take the blame for the performances of the team and be prepared to get fired if you don’t bring in results because it’s the nature of the profession that you chose to be in. That’s just how it is. corry@namibian.com.na