From the sidelines

THE resignation of Namibia Football Association (NFA) president Petrus Damaseb will have both negative and positive effects on the game in general, but it was a move long overdue, after he was appointed Judge President of Namibia.

Damaseb was the longest-serving NFA president ever, and has endured the tough times and shared in the achievements of the association, which has been no stranger to controversy over the years. He has managed to bring in major changes that have changed the face of football for the better, but there are aspects that have been overlooked during his reign, while his straight talking made him unpopular in many respects.But his most obvious milestone was luring three major corporate entities to pump N$40 million into the game over five years.This move has been hailed by many as a huge boost for football, but some have complained that the exclusive deal prevents other companies from becoming sponsors, and gives the consortium the power to call the shots.But Damaseb committed the NFA to a similar sponsorship in 2001, which at that time had to be made to bring the game out of the doldrums.The NFA was cash strapped and the domestic league was facing demise because it had no funds to run its affairs.The N$40 million deal has been good on one hand because there is now more money for cup competitions and the first and second divisions are looked at financially as well.More money means stiffer competition and so far most of the events that were held under this sponsorship have not disappointed, while the number of spectators, especially during cup competitions, has grown.But the biggest downside for this contract with the consortium is the commitment that the NFA has made to allow these three companies to be the sole sponsors of football on a big scale.That is primarily the domestic league.They have the sole right to put money into that, while they are also responsible for youth development of football in the country.The current contract shuts out any other company from sponsoring the league or having a stake in the activities of the national teams.This scenario is now affecting the NFA in a negative way, as they have no funding to pay the national coach they plan to appoint before the Cosafa Castle Cup in July.Damaseb in fact left office before finishing some important business.That of ensuring that a coach is appointed and that funding is sought for him.At this stage, Government has not shown any willingness to pay for the Brave Warriors coach and this leaves the NFA with no option but to look to the consortium for that purpose.But the consortium seems reluctant to do so, as the N$40 million they budgeted for football over five years does not cover paying a national coach.Matters will be even worse if a foreign coach is appointed, as he would demand a sizeable salary.It would have been ideal for Damaseb to finalise the appointment of the coach before handing over the reins to his successor, John Muinjo.The various national team coaches appointed under Damaseb reign were not successful, as they brought in mixed results.This situation made Namibians impatient and most slowly started losing interest in the game since 2000.Damaseb’s attacks on the media worsened matters, with the public viewing him as an autocrat, especially since the ousting of one of his executive members for no clear reason.Another highlight of Damaseb’s reign, who was often controversial and full of surprises, was the construction of Soccer House.This facility, although funded through the Fifa Goal Project, put Damaseb and his administrators in the limelight, as they also managed to bring Fifa boss Sepp Blatter to Windhoek.The construction of Soccer House was a feather in Damaseb’s cap, but the poor performance of the national team was a cause of great concern for him.And that he could do nothing about.What lies ahead for the NFA after Damaseb’s resignation is in the hands of its executive committee, which will now be chaired by John Muinjo, who will act as president until the next election in 2007.He will be the man to keep the momentum rolling and, most importantly, ensure that the right coach is appointed for a winning national team.Muinjo has been around the block a couple of times and it will be an added bonus (in case he wants to become president in 2007) if he can further improve on the administrative level, where some of the current office bearers are not professional enough.He has managed to bring in major changes that have changed the face of football for the better, but there are aspects that have been overlooked during his reign, while his straight talking made him unpopular in many respects.But his most obvious milestone was luring three major corporate entities to pump N$40 million into the game over five years.This move has been hailed by many as a huge boost for football, but some have complained that the exclusive deal prevents other companies from becoming sponsors, and gives the consortium the power to call the shots.But Damaseb committed the NFA to a similar sponsorship in 2001, which at that time had to be made to bring the game out of the doldrums.The NFA was cash strapped and the domestic league was facing demise because it had no funds to run its affairs.The N$40 million deal has been good on one hand because there is now more money for cup competitions and the first and second divisions are looked at financially as well.More money means stiffer competition and so far most of the events that were held under this sponsorship have not disappointed, while the number of spectators, especially during cup competitions, has grown.But the biggest downside for this contract with the consortium is the commitment that the NFA has made to allow these three companies to be the sole sponsors of football on a big scale.That is primarily the domestic league.They have the sole right to put money into that, while they are also responsible for youth development of football in the country.The current contract shuts out any other company from sponsoring the league or having a stake in the activities of the national teams.This scenario is now affecting the NFA in a negative way, as they have no funding to pay the national coach they plan to appoint before the Cosafa Castle Cup in July.Damaseb in fact left office before finishing some important business.That of ensuring that a coach is appointed and that funding is sought for him.At this stage, Government has not shown any willingness to pay for the Brave Warriors coach and this leaves the NFA with no option but to look to the consortium for that purpose.But the consortium seems reluctant to do so, as the N$40 million they budgeted for football over five years does not cover paying a national coach.Matters will be even worse if a foreign coach is appointed, as he would demand a sizeable salary.It would have been ideal for Damaseb to finalise the appointment of the coach before handing over the reins to his successor, John Muinjo.The various national team coaches appointed under Damaseb reign were not successful, as they brought in mixed results.This situation made Namibians impatient and most slowly started losing interest in the game since 2000.Damaseb’s attacks on the media worsened matters, with the public viewing him as an autocrat, especially since the ousting of one of his executive members for no clear reason.Another highlight of Damaseb’s reign, who was often controversial and full of surprises, was the construction of Soccer House.This facility, although funded through the Fifa Goal Project, put Damaseb and his administrators in the limelight, as they also managed to bring Fifa boss Sepp Blatter to Windhoek.The construction of Soccer House was a feather in Damaseb’s cap, but the poor performance of the national team was a cause of great concern for him.And that he could do nothing about.What lies ahead for the NFA after Damaseb’s resignation is in the hands of its executive committee, which will now be chaired by John Muinjo, who will act as president until the next election in 2007.He will be the man to keep the momentum rolling and, most importantly, ensure that the right coach is appointed for a winning national team.Muinjo has been around the block a couple of times and it will be an added bonus (in case he wants to become president in 2007) if he can further improve on the administrative level, where some of the current office bearers are not professional enough.