From the Sidelines with Corry Ihuhua

FINALLY the NFA has acknowledged that it is time to go back to the drawing board to ensure future success in football.

The decision of NFA President Petrus Damaseb and his executive to hold an indaba to discuss problems and solutions should be welcomed. This gathering should not be the scene of more battles, but a platform where open and frank discussions can take place.The NFA, especially some of its executive members, should lead the way by proposing ideas and talking straight.The executive committee members should come up with fresh ideas on running the game.This indaba should also end the notion that Damaseb is the only responsible person if things go awry in football.The entire executive should take the flak as they take decisions collectively.Although Damaseb is in the hot seat, he should delegate some responsibilities to his vice president or his accounting officer, the Secretary-General (SG).The SG has been evasive on a number issues, leaving Damaseb to clean up for him and take responsibility in difficult times.I am not accusing the SG, Alpheus Gaweseb, of neglecting his duties, but he can do better by being more transparent.Having monthly press briefings on the state of football in the country would be a good idea.On the envisaged strategic plan, there is an urgent need to concentrate on how the performance of the various national teams can be improved.The parties invited to this meeting, should propose concrete ideas on what exactly needs to be done from A to Z to bring back the spectators to the stadiums, even for friendly international matches.It is also good to hear that there will be a specific programme targeted at talent scouting in the country.This should serve as the basis for developing players identified at grassroots level to become national team material at least by the time we re-enter the competitive arena in three years.The annual regional tournaments that are being hosted should now also start serving their purpose, with the talented players identified being kept in the frame for national duties.Some players have been picked out (especially at The Namibian Newspaper Cup) for further moulding, but this has not been as effective as was hoped.Once issues have been thoroughly discussed action will have to be the keyword.Time and gain ideas have been suggested, but little or no action has taken place.The association has to spell out what needs to be done, when, and by whom.The saying ‘we will cross the bridge when we get there’ is not good enough as it simply means there is no vision.The stakeholders should ensure that what they plan is carried out at the right time, while any obstacles should be dealt with in advance rather than at the last minute.It is now time to re-group and focus on getting football’s house in order.I believe that Namibian football can be revived this year and continue to grow stronger over the following two years so that we are fully on track by 2007.This gathering should not be the scene of more battles, but a platform where open and frank discussions can take place. The NFA, especially some of its executive members, should lead the way by proposing ideas and talking straight. The executive committee members should come up with fresh ideas on running the game. This indaba should also end the notion that Damaseb is the only responsible person if things go awry in football. The entire executive should take the flak as they take decisions collectively. Although Damaseb is in the hot seat, he should delegate some responsibilities to his vice president or his accounting officer, the Secretary-General (SG). The SG has been evasive on a number issues, leaving Damaseb to clean up for him and take responsibility in difficult times. I am not accusing the SG, Alpheus Gaweseb, of neglecting his duties, but he can do better by being more transparent. Having monthly press briefings on the state of football in the country would be a good idea. On the envisaged strategic plan, there is an urgent need to concentrate on how the performance of the various national teams can be improved. The parties invited to this meeting, should propose concrete ideas on what exactly needs to be done from A to Z to bring back the spectators to the stadiums, even for friendly international matches. It is also good to hear that there will be a specific programme targeted at talent scouting in the country. This should serve as the basis for developing players identified at grassroots level to become national team material at least by the time we re-enter the competitive arena in three years. The annual regional tournaments that are being hosted should now also start serving their purpose, with the talented players identified being kept in the frame for national duties. Some players have been picked out (especially at The Namibian Newspaper Cup) for further moulding, but this has not been as effective as was hoped. Once issues have been thoroughly discussed action will have to be the keyword. Time and gain ideas have been suggested, but little or no action has taken place. The association has to spell out what needs to be done, when, and by whom. The saying ‘we will cross the bridge when we get there’ is not good enough as it simply means there is no vision. The stakeholders should ensure that what they plan is carried out at the right time, while any obstacles should be dealt with in advance rather than at the last minute. It is now time to re-group and focus on getting football’s house in order. I believe that Namibian football can be revived this year and continue to grow stronger over the following two years so that we are fully on track by 2007.