From the Sidelines: Bribes and fixing, out !

THIS week we reported on the allegations of match fixing, bribery and cover-ups in the Otjozondjupa Second Division football league.

These allegations stem from an abandoned match between Eleven Warriors and Flying Eagles and as I gathered, from the different role players in the league, it has been an ongoing thing throughout the years. It is not the first time that the region has been hit by these allegations.The league chairman, Gerson Ndjoonduezu, is viewed as the man who runs the game with an iron fist in that region.Officials I spoke to argue that it is unfair for officials to misuse the powers that are vested in them by the electorate.Ndjoonduezu, who became the chairman after Manfred Boois stepped down about two years ago, is linked to Eleven Warriors, which has now won the league in Otjozondjupa.He was in fact a former coach of the club and he is said to have acted as a fourth official during the disputed match on April 24 in Grootfontein this year.That in itself is unfair to the league and the opposing team and I think they should have refused to play the match if it were the case.Further, it is also unfair to the team which is accused of abandoning the match to be charged for bringing the game into disrepute whilst the league winner has already been decided.I would think that the match should have been replayed on the basis of the investigation done by the league officials.I don’t understand how league authorities decide on the league winners already in May and then charge a team for bringing the game in disrepute in July.I am not going to fight a case for any of these parties, but there are channels they need to follow and resolve football matters.Soccer House has a duty to ensure that all teams are treated equally in the respective divisions despite the powers that are vested with the regional executive committees.The lack of clear-cut guidelines from Soccer House on resolving issues at regional level, and bureaucratic and rather non-functioning systems in place are also serving the game no good.OLYMPIC GAMES I also want to make a quick comment on our delegations to the Olympic Games every four years.There are always personality clashes when these Games are set to take place.Everyone simply wants to be part of the team.Apart from the athletes, who qualify legitimately for the Games, I still have my reservations about some of the other officials who go with the team.I am fine with the coaches and managers of the athletes, also with the Minister, but I am also worried with the athletes/officials ratio.You have more officials than athletes but I have seen this sort of thing happening with other countries.Apparently the organisers expect each code to have at least a coach and a manager.That means if you have one athlete you will have two officials for that person, let alone a medical person as well.I am not quite sure who is on the bill of the IOC but I think that would include the NNOC President, the secretary-general and one official.From previous Olympics, some officials engaged in bilateral discussions with other countries on sports matters on the fringes of the Games but we are yet to see the fruits of those discussions.I think the inclusion of the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) chairman, Stanley Simaata is purely about entitlement.If the Director of Sport, Vetumbuavi Veii, and the Minister are at the Games, what is Simataa’s role? This means the NSC must pay subsistence and travel allowances (S&T) while he is there doing sweet nothing.As we all know, Namibia’s corporate world is stingy about investing in sport in general (hats off to the ones who really do) and Government with the little money they pour into sport, instead of spending it on officials to undertake these trips, should use it for sports development and participation.This means in between major events (e.g Commonwealth and Olympic Games), money should be spent on development purposes and to qualify more for these Games.The talent is in abundance, but is the money being spent wisely?It is not the first time that the region has been hit by these allegations.The league chairman, Gerson Ndjoonduezu, is viewed as the man who runs the game with an iron fist in that region.Officials I spoke to argue that it is unfair for officials to misuse the powers that are vested in them by the electorate.Ndjoonduezu, who became the chairman after Manfred Boois stepped down about two years ago, is linked to Eleven Warriors, which has now won the league in Otjozondjupa.He was in fact a former coach of the club and he is said to have acted as a fourth official during the disputed match on April 24 in Grootfontein this year.That in itself is unfair to the league and the opposing team and I think they should have refused to play the match if it were the case.Further, it is also unfair to the team which is accused of abandoning the match to be charged for bringing the game into disrepute whilst the league winner has already been decided.I would think that the match should have been replayed on the basis of the investigation done by the league officials.I don’t understand how league authorities decide on the league winners already in May and then charge a team for bringing the game in disrepute in July.I am not going to fight a case for any of these parties, but there are channels they need to follow and resolve football matters.Soccer House has a duty to ensure that all teams are treated equally in the respective divisions despite the powers that are vested with the regional executive committees.The lack of clear-cut guidelines from Soccer House on resolving issues at regional level, and bureaucratic and rather non-functioning systems in place are also serving the game no good.OLYMPIC GAMES I also want to make a quick comment on our delegations to the Olympic Games every four years.There are always personality clashes when these Games are set to take place.Everyone simply wants to be part of the team.Apart from the athletes, who qualify legitimately for the Games, I still have my reservations about some of the other officials who go with the team.I am fine with the coaches and managers of the athletes, also with the Minister, but I am also worried with the athletes/officials ratio.You have more officials than athletes but I have seen this sort of thing happening with other countries.Apparently the organisers expect each code to have at least a coach and a manager.That means if you have one athlete you will have two officials for that person, let alone a medical person as well.I am not quite sure who is on the bill of the IOC but I think that would include the NNOC President, the secretary-general and one official. From previous Olympics, some officials engaged in bilateral discussions with other countries on sports matters on the fringes of the Games but we are yet to see the fruits of those discussions.I think the inclusion of the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) chairman, Stanley Simaata is purely about entitlement.If the Director of Sport, Vetumbuavi Veii, and the Minister are at the Games, what is Simataa’s role? This means the NSC must pay subsistence and travel allowances (S&T) while he is there doing sweet nothing.As we all know, Namibia’s corporate world is stingy about investing in sport in general (hats off to the ones who really do) and Government with the little money they pour into sport, instead of spending it on officials to undertake these trips, should use it for sports development and participation.This means in between major events (e.g Commonwealth and Olympic Games), money should be spent on development purposes and to qualify more for these Games.The talent is in abundance, but is the money being spent wisely?