FRANCO Cosmos maintains he was not party to a disciplinary procedure which led to his expulsion from the Namibia Football Association, while the Fifa Normalisation Committee (NC) declined to reveal which breaches led to the secretary general’s dismissal.
Cosmos was given his marching orders last Thursday after the NC implemented a disciplinary committee recommendation “to dismiss the SG, found guilty on five of the nine counts brought against him”.
NFA women’s desk coordinator Jacqueline Gertze is temporarily filling the secretary general role.
The NC said advocate Thabang Phatela chaired a hearing between the NFA and Cosmos before handing down his judgement on 21 December 2020.
However, Cosmos is adamant that no such procedure took place and challenged the NC to disclose his purported transgressions.
“I ‘m not at liberty to discuss details of charges against Mr Cosmos in the press,” said NC chairperson Bisey /Uirab when approached for comment on Sunday.
He added that details may be forthcoming “in about 10 days ‘ time when we will have more certainty on some of these issues.”
His furtiveness suggests that the NC may have acted in haste and now find themselves in a bind.
Cosmos ‘ response to The Namibian Sport on the matter supports that narrative.
“Why can ‘t they tell you the charges I ‘m found guilty on? Why did they make it [dismissal] public? Ask them,” he retorted.
The axed NFA secretariat head did not confirm or deny whether he would contest his dismissal. However, his reaction leans towards that eventuality.
NFA will compensate Cosmos for “normal end of employment obligations”, /Uirab said.
/Uirab emphasised that the payout is “for leave days only”.
Despite Cosmos standpoint, he was charged with gross misconduct by axed NFA president Ranga Haikali in August last year, a development that the former, with the backing of half of the ex-communicated NFA executive committee, waved away as non-procedural.
In his deposition, Haikali accused his subordinate of repeated insubordination, non-compliance with established procedures and conditions of employment contract, and relaying false evidence or fraudulent misrepresentation.
Fifa general secretary Fatma Samoura referred to the disciplinary breach when announcing the appointment of the NC at the end of last month.
She said “a national court found him [Cosmos] guilty of not having acted in line with his employment contract” with the recommendation that he be dismissed from NFA.
The court ruling could not “be enforced by the executive committee in view of the circumstances”, she added.
“I ‘m not aware of such a case. I was never in a national court for a disciplinary matter,” Cosmos maintained.
