From the Sidelines : NFA blunders again

THE recent appointment of Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet clearly demonstrates short-sightedness on the part of the NFA in view of the unlikely chance of Namibia qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and African Nations Cup.

Worse is the fact that this man will receive a salary of over N$50 000, and this without even so much as a contract. He will basically operate by way of a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’.With the NFA continuously complaining about being in dire financial straits, this arrangement proves they’re also in dire straits when it comes to wisdom.Bear with me, for I have my reasons for saying this.Firstly, as we all know, Namibia has little chance, if no chance at all, of making it to Angola in 2010 for the African Nations Cup, let alone the World Cup in South Africa in the same year.Two wins against Zimbabwe and Kenya are nothing but a pipe-dream, if not miraculous should the Warriors pull it off, and even hopes of being among the best runners-up are slim.So, the coach who has been jobless since march this year has now found a good opportunity to come and fill up his pockets and leave, irrespective of the results as the NFA clearly stated they are also not interested in such at this stage.If they are not interested in the man to produce, why then call a foreign coach.To come and do what? To stand around and cast a shadow pitch-side? They might as well just have given the job, at much less cost, to a local coach, a species they have disregarded over the years in favour of the false promises of expatriates who gamble with the team as they please.Mind you Saintfiet will not sign any contract and on top of that, he will be in charge of the under 23 side too.Why? No reason has been given for this and the question becomes what happens to Bobby Samaria now.Is the move aimed at building a new team from the ranks of the under 23s again.What exactly is the plan with this no-name coach who has a nation’s aspirations in his hands? The biggest problem is that the man’s mandate has not been clearly spelled out and with the NFA saying that he is tasked with the two remaining matches and the Cosafa Cup, it is simply not good enough.Where have you heard of a coach being given free rein like that ? The man has never coached a national team before and his highest position at international level was as coach of Qatar’s under 17s.Qatar is not even ranked in the top 50 in the world.But at Soccer House, it will be business as usual, irrespective of the ever-waning performances of the Warriors.Furthermore, the status of the two assistant coaches has not been resolved.Will they now be relieved of duty, since Saintfiet will be calling the shots from the get-go? How does Saintfiet anyway know who Namibia’s coaches are and on what basis will he pick his assistants? It is unacceptable, unfair and irresponsible of the NFA to take decisions of this magnitude without having seriously considered the consequences.In my view, local coaches could have been given the chance to test themselves at international level.Namibia has many coaches to choose from for the Warriors job, but of course in football, there are the ever-present and public personality clashes that have largely stunted football’s development in this country.We will continue to lose matches at home, the sponsors will lose faith in the team and the nation at large, who through their hard-earned money pay exorbitant taxes to sustain football in the country, will continue to lose faith and vote with their feet.The NFA bosses probably believe they made the right decision, but in my view, they should have consulted extensively.There’s nothing wrong with checking with others and to then make informed decisions.He will basically operate by way of a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’.With the NFA continuously complaining about being in dire financial straits, this arrangement proves they’re also in dire straits when it comes to wisdom.Bear with me, for I have my reasons for saying this.Firstly, as we all know, Namibia has little chance, if no chance at all, of making it to Angola in 2010 for the African Nations Cup, let alone the World Cup in South Africa in the same year.Two wins against Zimbabwe and Kenya are nothing but a pipe-dream, if not miraculous should the Warriors pull it off, and even hopes of being among the best runners-up are slim.So, the coach who has been jobless since march this year has now found a good opportunity to come and fill up his pockets and leave, irrespective of the results as the NFA clearly stated they are also not interested in such at this stage.If they are not interested in the man to produce, why then call a foreign coach.To come and do what? To stand around and cast a shadow pitch-side? They might as well just have given the job, at much less cost, to a local coach, a species they have disregarded over the years in favour of the false promises of expatriates who gamble with the team as they please.Mind you Saintfiet will not sign any contract and on top of that, he will be in charge of the under 23 side too.Why? No reason has been given for this and the question becomes what happens to Bobby Samaria now.Is the move aimed at building a new team from the ranks of the under 23s again.What exactly is the plan with this no-name coach who has a nation’s aspirations in his hands? The biggest problem is that the man’s mandate has not been clearly spelled out and with the NFA saying that he is tasked with the two remaining matches and the Cosafa Cup, it is simply not good enough.Where have you heard of a coach being given free rein like that ? The man has never coached a national team before and his highest position at international level was as coach of Qatar’s under 17s.Qatar is not even ranked in the top 50 in the world.But at Soccer House, it will be business as usual, irrespective of the ever-waning performances of the Warriors.Furthermore, the status of the two assistant coaches has not been resolved.Will they now be relieved of duty, since Saintfiet will be calling the shots from the get-go? How does Saintfiet anyway know who Namibia’s coaches are and on what basis will he pick his assistants? It is unacceptable, unfair and irresponsible of the NFA to take decisions of this magnitude without having seriously considered the consequences.In my view, local coaches could have been given the chance to test themselves at international level.Namibia has many coaches to choose from for the Warriors job, but of course in football, there are the ever-present and public personality clashes that have largely stunted football’s development in this country.We will continue to lose matches at home, the sponsors will lose faith in the team and the nation at large, who through their hard-earned money pay exorbitant taxes to sustain football in the country, will continue to lose faith and vote with their feet.The NFA bosses probably believe they made the right decision, but in my view, they should have consulted extensively.There’s nothing wrong with checking with others and to then make informed decisions.