BLUE Waters are disjointed and in disarray, says Knowledge Ipinge who quit the club as interim committee member on Monday.
Ipinge’s resignation, which The Namibian Sport is privy to, painted a picture of a dysfunctional, lackadaisical and/or inept management which is leading the once great club into the doldrums.
The irate former star player claimed the club’s chairman Hafeni Ndemula has continuously ignored his pleas to remedy the near-crisis situation.
He also called for the interim committee to be ratified and the remaining members to step down as they have all failed to honour their mandate “to prepare the club for a new constitution and electing new executives”.
Ipinge said Blue Waters interim committee on which he has served for over a year is an “illegal structure” and hopes his exit will lead to an extraordinary general meeting to elect a new productive board for the club as soon as possible.
While he acknowledged receipt of Ipinge’s resignation, Ndemula had not responded to The Namibian Sport’s query on the issues at the club by the time of going to print.
Ndemula, in his response to Ipinge’s allegations on Monday, said: “The elective conference will only take place middle January or beginning February.”
One of the country’s recognisable clubs, Blue Waters has been blighted by internal strife for years, resulting in failure to remain among challengers for silverware since winning the Namibia Premier League title in 2000.
“As we are all aware, according to the club’s guiding principles, we are currently finding ourselves serving on a illegal structure as we have clearly failed to execute our duties within the time frame provided to us, leave the club in a better place than we came and to really prepare the new executive for success.
“Serving Blue Waters Sports Club is no popularity contest or platform to entertain egos but a commitment to our members, players and community at large,” Ipinge stressed.
Also among the issues he highlighted is the absence of employment contracts for players; and management members taking unilateral decisions on behalf of the club i.e boycotting the Debmarine Namibia Cup.
Such practices will cause irreparable damage to the Blue Waters brand, he cautioned.
“I fully recognise the unrest and upset felt by many players and members of the club, including a series of division among us interim committee members which has greatly contributed to the current downfall of the club,” Ipinge said.
“Thus, it is with the above in mind and multiple queries raised via various emails through the chairman that I hereby relinquish all my rights, responsibilities and privileges as an interim committee member, effective immediately,” he continued.
“I hope that every other honest individual among us will also agree to either stand down permanently or stand down and seek re-election at the EGM. It is no secret that we owe the members a platform to vote for a new board with a fresh mandate to represent the club’s best interests and best serve the club going forward which we failed to do collectively,” Ipinge asserted.
He intimated that Blue Waters, who have had an inconsistent start to the season, could lose key players in the January transfer period.
“It deeply pains me to have learned that players are currently playing for the club without any valid contracts which has led to the current unrest among key players at the club despite multiple discussion around this matter to find a permanent solution and players commitment to die for the club,” said Ipinge, who has persistently queried the club chairman since May.
“In addition, I made a proposal over a month ago for us to consider employing a qualified and experienced coach to steer the club to greener pastures moving forward of which I received positive feedback for the appointment but till date no significant progress has been made on this matter and the coach has been kept in the dark despite negotiating a favourable deal and him turning down offers from other interested clubs,” he added.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
