From the sidelines

THERE is growing concern about how the Namibia Football Association will fare after the resignation of former president Petrus Damaseb about two weeks ago.

I would say there is nothing to worry about, as the current acting president, John Muinjo, is capable enough to carry the mother body through from where Damaseb left off. The main reason for Muinjo being the man to build on the successes and to work on issues that have not been addressed adequately, is that he has a wealth of experience.Administratively he has proven to be worth his mettle, and although he has played an underdog role, at times he stood out when it came to making key decisions on the executive level.Each leader has strong qualities and weaknesses.Muinjo has a strong personality, like Damaseb, and in football, this is an important ingredient to stay in power as president, while a pure sense of realism in planning the future of the game is a must.As vice president, Muinjo has over the years been overshadowed by Damaseb, who proved that he could take on challenges head-on.This quality has not been evident in Muinjo because he was the second man in charge and mainly had to mop up and ensure that things were done properly.He is the right man because he has learnt a lot from Damaseb, but now he has to prove what his management style would be as president.Some argue that he is a softy and will find it tough to run the show, but given his knowledge on the local football front, as well as his international exposure on both CAF and FIFA levels, Muinjo can be classified in the league of his predecessor.Despite all his good qualities, the challenges that this man will face are possibly more intense this time around, as he has been left with the task of producing winning national teams.The ranking situation needs to be improved and that should be drastic indeed.The appointment of the coach for the national team will be one of his daunting tasks and this needs to happen soon.The biggest problem at this stage is to find funding for the salary of the coach and until today, nothing is in the bank yet.After that, his management team, which is led by the secretary-general, has to be to his liking, but it is likely that heads will roll.It is common knowledge that when a new president takes over, he brings in his own people, and that was the case with Damaseb.The question is, will Muinjo keep the same people, especially the secretary general, Alpheus Gaweseb, and his main right-hand man Eric Hansen, or will he opt to bring in new faces to aid his efforts in keeping a clean sheet during his reign? By the way, Muinjo only has until August to prove that he is the man for the job, as an elective congress will take place in that month.According to the constitution, if a president resigns, the next congress should be elective.Muinjo first has to produce winning national teams, irrespective of who will be in charge.He has to prove to the electorate that has kept him in football for all these years that he was in fact the right man for the job by proving that workable systems are in place which will not backfire, especially on the administrative level.The NFA has for long failed to empower the regional football officials and by doing that, Muinjo will score a full 10 points, as he will stand to gain from them when the voting comes.It will not be easy to convince everyone with changes, because sometimes some things should be left the way they are, otherwise you invite trouble and this can lead to your own demise.Especially in football.The other major challenge for Muinjo, being a CAF and FIFA Referees’ Instructor, is to change the sorry state of that profession in the country.Premiership teams are crying foul over poor decisions by referees who they claim rob them of valuable points.Although there is a Referees’ Committee, which has the responsibility of addressing these issues, his influence will be needed to make a difference.And there is also the youth development concept, which at this stage is not up and running to the required level, and with him now being the chairman of the 2010 Afcon bid, a lot of work will be on his doorstep as chief of football in the country.The appointment of a competent coach, successful national teams, a smooth and rather competent administrative wing, improved quality of football on the domestic front and the landing of the Nations Cup bid can keep Muinjo in office for long, provided he gets past the August election hurdle.He is worth the position at this stage; it will be a matter of how to bridge the many obstacles which will be in his way, while he has to prove in no uncertain terms that he is a genuine leader.The main reason for Muinjo being the man to build on the successes and to work on issues that have not been addressed adequately, is that he has a wealth of experience.Administratively he has proven to be worth his mettle, and although he has played an underdog role, at times he stood out when it came to making key decisions on the executive level.Each leader has strong qualities and weaknesses.Muinjo has a strong personality, like Damaseb, and in football, this is an important ingredient to stay in power as president, while a pure sense of realism in planning the future of the game is a must.As vice president, Muinjo has over the years been overshadowed by Damaseb, who proved that he could take on challenges head-on.This quality has not been evident in Muinjo because he was the second man in charge and mainly had to mop up and ensure that things were done properly.He is the right man because he has learnt a lot from Damaseb, but now he has to prove what his management style would be as president.Some argue that he is a softy and will find it tough to run the show, but given his knowledge on the local football front, as well as his international exposure on both CAF and FIFA levels, Muinjo can be classified in the league of his predecessor.Despite all his good qualities, the challenges that this man will face are possibly more intense this time around, as he has been left with the task of producing winning national teams.The ranking situation needs to be improved and that should be drastic indeed.The appointment of the coach for the national team will be one of his daunting tasks and this needs to happen soon.The biggest problem at this stage is to find funding for the salary of the coach and until today, nothing is in the bank yet.After that, his management team, which is led by the secretary-general, has to be to his liking, but it is likely that heads will roll.It is common knowledge that when a new president takes over, he brings in his own people, and that was the case with Damaseb.The question is, will Muinjo keep the same people, especially the secretary general, Alpheus Gaweseb, and his main right-hand man Eric Hansen, or will he opt to bring in new faces to aid his efforts in keeping a clean sheet during his reign? By the way, Muinjo only has until August to prove that he is the man for the job, as an elective congress will take place in that month.According to the constitution, if a president resigns, the next congress should be elective.Muinjo first has to produce winning national teams, irrespective of who will be in charge.He has to prove to the electorate that has kept him in football for all these years that he was in fact the right man for the job by proving that workable systems are in place which will not backfire, especially on the administrative level.The NFA has for long failed to empower the regional football officials and by doing that, Muinjo will score a full 10 points, as he will stand to gain from them when the voting comes.It will not be easy to convince everyone with changes, because sometimes some things should be left the way they are, otherwise you invite trouble and this can lead to your own demise.Especially in football.The other major challenge for Muinjo, being a CAF and FIFA Referees’ Instructor, is to change the sorry state of that profession in the country.Premiership teams are crying foul over poor decisions by referees who they claim rob them of valuable points.Although there is a Referees’ Committee, which has the responsibility of addressing these issues, his influence will be needed to make a difference.And there is also the youth development concept, which at this stage is not up and running to the required level, and with him now being the chairman of the 2010 Afcon bid, a lot of work will be on his doorstep as chief of football in the country.The appointment of a competent coach, successful national teams, a smooth and rather competent administrative wing, improved quality of football on the domestic front and the landing of the Nations Cup bid can keep Muinjo in office for long, provided he gets past the August election hurdle.He is worth the position at this stage; it will be a matter of how to bridge the many obstacles which will be in his way, while he has to prove in no uncertain terms that he is a genuine leader.