From the Sidelines

THE saga surrounding the payment of national team players in the Brave Warriors squad has been an ongoing debate over the years.

It is a phenomenon, especially among African footballing nations, as players are repeatedly promised sums of money before matches, only to find that promises of that are not being kept after doing the job. As we all know, Government has its own way of doing things and as custom, they go through processes and sometimes it takes forever.First of all, the players have the right to demand payment if the promise that is made to them is not met.The players, especially the local-based players make a living from football, and if they deliver for the national team, irrespective of losing or winning, they need to get their fair share of the deal.Although it is a national obligation, it does not matter as the world of sport nowadays revolves around money.Football authorities in this case should honour their word when it comes to the payment of players, as this also encourages the players to go the extra mile and strive for producing the desired results.The players are considered as national assets and it is also fair for them to get what is due to them.It is also important to remember that as much as players are doing national duty with a sense of pride, they should also be treated as the best available and compensation for their work should not be compromised.But there is also the other side of the coin in NamibiaŽs case.We all know that the Namibia Football Association (NFA) is a non profit making body.They basically find it difficult in paying out monies to the players after being involved in international matches.Maintaining a national team is an expensive exercise, but the bottom line is that there should be a budget for this.A budget for training camps and renumeration of players after international matches, travelling and accommodation costs should be standard.As any other vote that the NFA has like the one for development, there should also be a vote for the renumeration of players, depending on how many matches are scheduled for them during a specific year.At this stage, the monies for the Brave Warriors expenses are derived from Government through the Namibia Sports Commission.Now, as we know, Government has a lot of procedures before releasing such funds, but this should not be used as an excuse everytime the players need to get their share.In an event that the money is not readily available, it is important for the football bosses to make it clear to the players what the process is.The NFA, which I believe they have done, should inform the players and make them understand about the financial situation of the NFA and in this case the monies that are supposed to come from Government.It should be made clear to the players well ahead of time that they will be paid by a certain time only when the funds are available, but promises of delivering the notes after the boys have done the job, should not be made.Players are also human and playing for their country is an honour.I am sure they will be understanding if everything concerning their renumeration is spelled out well ahead of time, but not after they have played the games.The NFA has possibly told the players about the delay in the payment for the Zambia match, but the situation could have been more sound if non of the players had confronted the acting secretary-general about payment.Namibia is at a crucial stage of trying to make it to the Nations Cup finals in Ghana next year and everyone is hoping for good results on the field, but not fights over payment.It is important that the authorities create an environment in which the players feel that they are well taken care of for them to concentrate on the game and bring in the results to take the nation to the continental show-piece.Money issues are a problem in our various sport codes but if there is an understanding between the players and the officials regarding whatever matter which is affecting them, there should be no problem.The hope is that the players will get their fair share in the end and it will also be good if the football bosses can discuss issues in a transparent and honest manner with the players to avoid discontent within the camp in future.As we all know, Government has its own way of doing things and as custom, they go through processes and sometimes it takes forever.First of all, the players have the right to demand payment if the promise that is made to them is not met.The players, especially the local-based players make a living from football, and if they deliver for the national team, irrespective of losing or winning, they need to get their fair share of the deal.Although it is a national obligation, it does not matter as the world of sport nowadays revolves around money.Football authorities in this case should honour their word when it comes to the payment of players, as this also encourages the players to go the extra mile and strive for producing the desired results.The players are considered as national assets and it is also fair for them to get what is due to them.It is also important to remember that as much as players are doing national duty with a sense of pride, they should also be treated as the best available and compensation for their work should not be compromised.But there is also the other side of the coin in NamibiaŽs case.We all know that the Namibia Football Association (NFA) is a non profit making body.They basically find it difficult in paying out monies to the players after being involved in international matches.Maintaining a national team is an expensive exercise, but the bottom line is that there should be a budget for this.A budget for training camps and renumeration of players after international matches, travelling and accommodation costs should be standard.As any other vote that the NFA has like the one for development, there should also be a vote for the renumeration of players, depending on how many matches are scheduled for them during a specific year.At this stage, the monies for the Brave Warriors expenses are derived from Government through the Namibia Sports Commission.Now, as we know, Government has a lot of procedures before releasing such funds, but this should not be used as an excuse everytime the players need to get their share.In an event that the money is not readily available, it is important for the football bosses to make it clear to the players what the process is.The NFA, which I believe they have done, should inform the players and make them understand about the financial situation of the NFA and in this case the monies that are supposed to come from Government.It should be made clear to the players well ahead of time that they will be paid by a certain time only when the funds are available, but promises of delivering the notes after the boys have done the job, should not be made.Players are also human and playing for their country is an honour.I am sure they will be understanding if everything concerning their renumeration is spelled out well ahead of time, but not after they have played the games.The NFA has possibly told the players about the delay in the payment for the Zambia match, but the situation could have been more sound if non of the players had confronted the acting secretary-general about payment.Namibia is at a crucial stage of trying to make it to the Nations Cup finals in Ghana next year and everyone is hoping for good results on the field, but not fights over payment.It is important that the authorities create an environment in which the players feel that they are well taken care of for them to concentrate on the game and bring in the results to take the nation to the continental show-piece.Money issues are a problem in our various sport codes but if there is an understanding between the players and the officials regarding whatever matter which is affecting them, there should be no problem.The hope is that the players will get their fair share in the end and it will also be good if the football bosses can discuss issues in a transparent and honest manner with the players to avoid discontent within the camp in future.